Biggest Industries by Revenue in the UK in 2024

1. Supermarkets in the UK

Revenue for 2024: $192.0B

The traditional 'big four' supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons) are under intense pressure from discounters like Aldi and Lidl, with their low prices and improving quality of products resonating with price-conscious shoppers. Sainsbury's and Asda sought to merge in 2018 to better position themselves against the threat of the discount chains. However, the CMA blocked their plans, stating that the merger could lead to higher prices and reduced choice and quality. The COVID-19 pandemic sparked initial stockpiling activity and paved the way for online delivery services to become essential to people's lives. According to the ONS, food store volume... Learn More

2. Construction Contractors in the UK

Revenue for 2024: $180.2B

Companies in the Construction Contractors industry are active across the building construction and civil engineering markets. Despite being remunerated for completing new building and infrastructure construction contracts or fulfilling maintenance, repair, renovation and remodelling contract obligations, the spectrum of services offered by civils and general building contractors in this industry is multifaceted. Some contractors focus on new dwellings construction, while civil engineering specialists afford clients services across the infrastructure value chain. Some contractors specialise in commercial building activity, while many independent contractors may focus on small-scale repair and maintenance contracts in local markets.

In the lead-up to the pandemic, the government's... Learn More

3. New Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers in the UK

Revenue for 2024: $146.6B

Revenue is anticipated to plunge at a compound annual rate of 3.5% to £120.1 billion over the five years through 2023-24, including revenue growth of 3.3% in 2023-24. New car registrations have inched downwards – the result of skyrocketing fuel prices and customers delaying sales. New car sales are rising in 2023 driven by electric sales and plug-in hybrids, despite squeezed household incomes. Stricter environmental laws, like the expansion of the ULEZ zone in London, are leading to higher business sales, boosting revenue in 2023.

In 2020-21, the COVID-19 outbreak decimated new car sales. Car dealers were forced to close their... Learn More

4. Banks in the UK

Revenue for 2024: $132.4B

Over the five years through 2023-24, UK banks' revenue is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 0.3% to £123.2 billion, including anticipated growth of 9.9% in 2023-24. Low interest rates after the financial crisis limited the interest earned by banks from loans, hitting income. At the same time, a stricter regulatory environment, including increased capital requirements introduced under the Basel III banking reforms and ring-fencing regulations, constricted lending activity. To protect their profitability, banks have shut the doors of lots of branches and made substantial job cuts.

The COVID-19 outbreak triggered a dramatic decline in revenue during 2020-21... Learn More

5. Pension Funding in the UK

Revenue for 2024: $119.7B

Pension funds are undergoing a period of change. The past few years marked a shift from defined benefit (DB) to defined contribution (DC) schemes dominating the industry. Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, equity markets were destabilised, causing asset values to decline in 2020. However, the steady recovery of economic conditions as the pandemic wound down was mirrored in equity values, supporting pension fund assets.

Pension funds were rocked in late 2022, when a fire sale of gilts meant that funds were forced to sell assets to meet margin calls. The hit taken to pension assets means that revenue is... Learn More

6. Hospitals in the UK

Revenue for 2024: $115.0B

A growing and ageing population has increased demand, but public healthcare budgets have failed to keep pace with this, which has aided demand for private hospitals as a greater number of patients seek private treatment. Over the five years through 2023-24, industry revenue is expected to rise at a compound annual rate of 1.8% to reach £118.2 billion.

The outbreak of COVID-19 necessitated the release of significant government funding to help hospitals boost their capacities to treat afflicted patients. NHS funding rose from £148.9 billion in 2019-20 to £191 billion in 2020-21, according to the King's Fund, as the government boosted... Learn More

7. Residential Building Construction in the UK

Revenue for 2024: $82.8B

Residential building contractors are contingent on the propensity of property developers to invest in new ventures; movements in property prices; government schemes intended to boost the housing supply; and underlying sentiment in the housing market. Revenue expanded prior to the pandemic, with the support of government programmes and new funding to induce land development and housebuilding activity mitigating the effects of market uncertainties stemming from the Brexit vote. Revenue is forecast to decline at a compound annual rate of 2.9% to £80.6 billion over the five years through 2023-24.

The pandemic caused a significant drop in output in 2020-21, as restrictions... Learn More

8. Management Consultants in the UK

Revenue for 2024: $78.6B

Over the five years through 2022-23, revenue is projected to climb at a compound annual rate of 2.3%. This growth has primarily been driven by an enhanced demand for IT consulting services. In addition, regulatory changes in the financial services sector, the industry's largest downstream market, have benefitted the industry, as banks and other financial institutions have required assistance to reformulate business strategies and operations to comply with new policies.

Plunging business confidence following the COVID-19 outbreak reduced demand for consulting services in 2020-21, as downstream companies held back on expanding their operations in the immediate aftermath of the outbreak. In... Learn More

9. Business Process Outsourcing Services in the UK

Revenue for 2024: $73.4B

Business process outsourcing (BPO) companies provide services to clients in all sectors of the economy, with the financial services and public sectors being particularly important markets. IT adoption and government expenditure have increased throughout the period, incentivising businesses to invest more heavily in IT systems and upgrades, supporting demand for BPO services.

Industry revenue is forecast to fall at a compound annual rate of 2.5% over the five years through 2023-24 to £71.5 billion, including expected growth of 4.6% in 2023-24. Advances in cloud computing, mobile technology and big data have also created new opportunities for industry operators to add value... Learn More

10. General Insurance in the UK

Revenue for 2024: $72.9B

Over the five years through 2022-23, the General Insurance industry's revenue is forecast to edge downwards at a compound annual rate of 1.5%. After Solvency II regulations were brought in at the start of 2016, buffer requirements constricted capital. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted insurance patterns and claims, with some lines (like car insurance) becoming considerably more profitable, with the opposite true for others (like income protection).

Following what looked like a strong recovery in 2021-22, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has created yet more disruption the insurance sector, especially for aviation and maritime insurance, pressured by war-related risks... Learn More