UK non-exporting businesses: other service activities
UK non-exporting businesses: other service activities stood at 86.6% in Aug 2026, according to ONS — Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS). It is one of the indicators in the Exporting, importing and US tariffs (BICS) table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Jun 2024 to Aug 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Exporting, importing and US tariffs (BICS) table
| Indicator | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Did not export in the last 12 months | |||||||||||
| Other service activities | 86.6 | 85.4 | 94.6 | 81.5 | 82 | 82.8 | 75.9 | 83.8 | 80.7 | 77.5 | |
| 0-9 employees | 79.5 | 79.7 | 84.5 | 80.8 | 79 | 83.8 | 76.8 | 79.8 | 80 | 79.1 |
Understanding UK non-exporting businesses: other service activities
Membership organisations, repair shops for household goods, personal grooming establishments, and unclassified service providers throughout the United Kingdom reporting no foreign sales over the past year make up this metric. Distinct from corporate administrative agencies or professional consultancies, this slice of the economy serves retail consumers and niche community needs directly, explaining why their trade involvement remains exclusively domestic. The resulting percentage maps the prevalence of locally bound activity within fringe service sectors.
Evaluating this dataset necessitates awareness of seasonal consumer spending patterns and administrative reclassifications that frequently shift businesses between industrial categories without any underlying operational change. Analysts must observe twelve-month moving averages to filter out noise caused by rotating survey panels and varying response rates among micro-enterprises. Drawing direct parallels between this metric and heavy industrial trade data invites analytical error due to the vastly divergent scale and capital requirements governing consumer-facing services.
Frequently asked questions
- Which activities are grouped under other service operations?
- Hairdressers, dry cleaners, trade unions, religious bodies, and pet grooming enterprises that operate solely within the domestic economy.
- How does this series differ from corporate administrative metrics?
- While administrative firms cater primarily to other businesses, this category captures services delivered directly to households and membership groups.
- Are seasonal adjustments applied to these monthly proportions?
- The figures reflect reported survey responses for each specific period, requiring users to account for predictable calendar fluctuations in consumer-facing sectors.