Before Brexit: Britain's biggest exports may surprise you
Charlotte Irwin
15 August 2018
Britain: the trading power
The UK has the third largest economy in Europe, and according to the Office for National Statistics, Britain exported a huge £547.5 billion of goods in 2016. But almost half of those exports – 48% – went to Europe. We can't predict what the trade terms of Brexit will be yet, but read on to find out what Britain's biggest exports are, from the expected to the slightly more unusual, and what the UK has to offer...
Electric hair dryers - £14.3 million
Electric hair dryers generated an export value of £14.3 million in 2016. The UK's hair dryer export market saw an increase of nearly 50% from the previous year, with more women doing their hair at home rather than regular salon visits, as well as the recession-proof "lipstick effect" where beauty and care products often buck the trend in times of adversity.
Essential oils - £168 million
Essential oils exports totalled £3.5 billion globally in 2016, and the UK's exports came in 6th place, with the British market generating £168 million for the 7.7 tonnes that the country produced. From 2007 to 2016 the market has seen growth, notably an average annual increase in price of 6.3%. But it fluctuates, and sales can vary year on year.
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Tobacco - £231 million
Tobacco exports reached £231 million in 2016, £144 million of which went to EU member countries, which is the equivalent of 62%. The top country that the UK exported to was Poland, with £41.1 million worth of tobacco heading there, followed by France with £24.9 million. London-based British American Tobacco is a world player, and in 2018 was the 2nd largest tobacco company worldwide, based on net sales.
Beer - £596 million
Beer, despite the fact its origins can be traced as far back as the 5th millennium BC in Iran, has become synonymous with British culture. Government analysis in 2015 found that a new brewery opens in Britain every other day. Unsurprisingly, the UK sells a lot of beer, and exported £596 million worth of beer in 2017, with £233 million of this going to the EU. However, in the first quarter of 2018 the USA topped the list of individual countries that the UK exports its beer to.
Chocolate - £618 million
There is growing demand for British chocolate around the world. In 2017 exports topped £618 million, this was an 84% rise from 2010 when exports only reached £370 million. The industry is managing to crush any pre-Brexit anxiety, with EU exports of the sweet snack increasing since the referendum, and outpacing exports to the rest of the world. York-based and Swiss-owned Nestlé, which produces KitKat and Aero among others, is one of the UK's main confectionery producers, exporting 17% annually.
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Salmon - £729.4 million
From the £22.1 billion food and drink exports in 2017, salmon was one of the main contributors. The Food and Drink Federation has reported that the UK exported £729.4 million worth of the oily pink fish, which was only beaten by whisky as the top consumable export. This is thought to be down to a surge in sales after fishermen in the rival market of Chile lost a lot of fish due to algae.
Furniture - £1.13 billion
Furniture exports reached £1.13 billion in 2016, up by 13% on the previous year, in a five year period of continual growth. However, the furniture market is not without concern. With Brexit on the way it is worth noting that 63% of Britain's furniture exports go to the EU, and that we actually import more furniture than we sell, resulting in a negative trade gap of £2.20 billion.
Red meat - £1.2 billion
Red meat and its offal products generated just over £1.2 billion from exports in 2017. The most popular was beef, which generated £409 million alone, an increase of 11% on sales in 2016.
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Television - £1.34 billion
From Downton Abbey to Sherlock, British TV is shown – and loved – around the globe. And that's good news for the economy. The UK's television export market in 2015/16 reached £1.34 billion, and while the majority of the market is from the US, a recent surge in demand from China is the reason behind a 10% increase on figures in 2014/15.
Footwear - £1.54 billion
The UK's shoe export market had been growing consistently for the past decade, until 2017 when it experienced the first drop since 2009. But it still offers a strong return. In 2017, UK footwear exports had a healthy value of £1.54 billion, with £1.36 billion of that heading for EU member countries. Lancashire-based Hotter is one of the biggest shoe manufacturers, and is responsible for creating nearly one in three shoes made in the UK.
Cannabis - estimate £2 billion+
The UK's stance on medical cannabis is a little confused. While the British government has been against legalising medicinal cannabis, doubting its "therapeutic value", the country is the top producer and exporter of the plant. GW Pharmaceuticals has been granted special permission to grow cannabis at an undisclosed location in England, and in 2016, Britain produced 95 tonnes and exported 2.1 tonnes of the drug as per the findings of the UN's International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).
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Books - £2.6 billion
As the country of origin for many literary legends including Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and more recently J. K. Rowling, it is fitting that the UK is a world leader when it comes to publishing exports. In fact, in 2017 export sales reached £2.6 billion, and accounted for 54% of total revenues, according to the Publishers Association. The industry is seeing some of the largest growth in a decade, since digital sales were included in 2007.
Arms - £4.3 billion
The UK is one of the top five arms exporters in the world. In 2016 its export sales reached £4.3 billion. Supplying arms to Saudi Arabia, Oman and Indonesia, to name the top few, controversially British arms dealing has doubled its supply to repressive regimes since the change of government in 2015. London-based BAE Systems remains the nation’s largest defence company, estimated to be worth $27.4 billion (£21 billion) by Forbes.
Scotch whisky - £4.36 billion
Scotch whisky set records in 2017. The UK exported a huge £4.36 billion worth of the strong stuff across the world, with people drinking more of it than ever – 345.1 million litres of pure alcohol were exported, the equivalent of 1.23 billion bottles. Admittedly, 30% of exports went to the EU, but there is a strong global market that suggests it will fare the post-Brexit storm well – the tipple represented 20% of all of the UK's food and drink exports.
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Art - £5.3 billion
Who says art is useless? Exports of art reached £5.3 billion in 2016, according to The British Art Market report. The UK is a global heavyweight and was the second largest art market, only topped by the USA, in 2016. Happily, in the face of Brexit, HMRC’s official figures suggest most deals are done outside of the EU, with just 3% going to Europe. That said sales under the VAT margin could be going unrecorded.
Blood - £7.5 billion
The exporting of both human and animal blood hit £7.5 billion in 2017, according to the International Trade Centre. While this may come as a surprise, in the world of trade it isn't: blood is the 13th most traded product in the world. The blood is most often used for medicinal purposes.
Cars - £34.4 billion
Britain's car manufacturing past may feel long gone, especially since there are no longer any British-owned mass car manufacturers operating in the UK. However, cars remain the UK's biggest export, and in 2017 generated £34.3 billion from 1.3 million vehicles. This could all change in the next few years as 53.9% of car exports head to the EU, meaning that the industry is at risk from a hard or no-deal Brexit. Jaguar Land Rover is the UK's market leader, creating 532,107 cars in 2017.
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