September was a bumper month for transport & storage firms

  Posted by: electime      31st October 2025

The latest ONS business survey has revealed 23 per cent of transport and storage sector companies reported increased turnover in September. That’s the best result of any similar business sector, says the home delivery expert Parcelhero.

Transportation and storage sector firms enjoyed a boom in turnover in September. The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) Business Insights survey has revealed a hefty 23 per cent of transport and storage firms (the category that includes logistics, parcels, haulage and warehousing firms) reported increased profits last month. That was the best result for any sector of the economy except education, says the home delivery expert Parcelhero.

Parcelhero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks M.I.L.T., says: ‘The latest business survey, held between 1-30 September, reveals that not only did 23 per cent of transport & storage sector firms enjoy an increase in turnover over August but that only 10.3 per cent saw a fall in their revenues – the best result for any sector.

‘These results look strong compared to the majority of other business sectors. Although 19.2 per cent of manufacturers and 21.4 per cent of retailers reported rising turnover, there was cause for concern. A worrying 27.1 per cent of manufacturers and a downright alarming 31.8 per cent of retailers actually reported a decrease in turnover. That puts into focus how healthy a month September was for transport & storage firms.

‘Delving deeper into September’s figures, transport and storage sector businesses were notably more upbeat about a wide range of challenges currently affecting the industry. In particular, they were significantly more optimistic than their manufacturing and retail partners. Just 14.9 per cent of transport and storage firms were concerned about the cost of labour, compared to 22.8 per cent of manufacturers and 20.9 per cent of retailers. Likewise, only 12.4 per cent of transport and storage firms were concerned about the cost of materials, compared to 20.3 per cent of manufacturers and 22.9 per cent of retailers.

‘It’s the same story when it comes to economic uncertainty. Just 15.9 per cent of transport and storage firms responded that they were concerned about its impact on their turnover, compared to 32.5 per cent of their manufacturing partners and a whopping 39.6 per cent of retailers. In fact, of all business sectors, only the arts (14.7 per cent) was less concerned about the repercussions of economic uncertainty.

‘That’s not to say that transport and storage sector companies were wearing rose-tinted spectacles when they completed this survey. 16.3 per cent of them were concerned about financial costs impacting on their turnover, which was more than both manufacturers (15 per cent) and retailers (14.1 per cent).

‘Nonetheless, looking forward to November, many transport and storage firms remain optimistic about the month ahead. In the latest survey, 15.2 per cent believe their turnover will increase, broadly on a par with manufacturers and slightly behind the 19.3 per cent of retailers. More significantly, only 14.2 per cent are bracing themselves for a decrease in turnover, compared to 16 per cent of manufacturers and a concerning 24.2 per cent of retailers.

‘One certainty is that it will be those transport and storage companies that are partnered with retailers and manufacturers with strong in-store and online sales that will ultimately triumph. Parcelhero’s influential report “2030: Death of the High Street” has been discussed in Parliament. It reveals that retailers must develop an omnichannel approach, embracing both online and physical store sales. Read the full report at: https://www.parcelhero.com/content/downloads/pdfs/high-street/deathofthehighstreetreport.pdf