Sectors we cover

Fast moving consumer goods are categorised as 'essential items' that enable us to live well. The speed element has earned its definition due to the fact that they are the quickest items to leave the shelves at the supermarket, and are often the lowest price as a result. By nature, FMCG goods work on the basis of high volume output given the margins dictated by low cost.

The FMCG industry is a multi-million pound sector, made up of a huge spectrum of recognised brand names. Cleaning and laundry products, over the counter medicines, personal care items and food make up a high proportion of the sector, but it also applies to paper products, pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics, plastic goods, printing and stationary, alcoholic drinks, tobacco and cigarettes.

The retail sector involves consumer spending in shops and online. Last year, consumers in the UK spent around £378 billion. For every £1 spent in the retail sector 42p was spent in food stores, 41p was spent in non-food stores, 11p on automotive fuel and the remainder was spent in other types of retailers, such as market stores or mail order catalogues.

The industry has come under pressure in recent years in a number of ways, from the exponential growth and evolution of supermarkets to the continued increase in internet shopping and, of course, the challenges of a turbulent economy. Retailers face a 'brave new world' of 'always on' channels and are exploring how to marry up virtual spending with the 'bricks and mortar' experience of shopping.

The UK manufacturing sector is strong and Britain is currently recognised as the 11th largest manufacturing nation across the globe. Employing 2.6 million people, manufacturing makes up 11% of UK GVA and 54% of UK exports.

Productivity has increased 45% in a decade, contributing a third to the UK’s total productivity and it’s good news that total exports to the BRICs countries are up 360%. Many of the UK’s manufacturers are looking overseas for growth in terms of sales and profitability.

The UK’s engineering sector employs almost six million people across a broad spectrum of roles and accounts for estimated 27% of the UK’s GDP. Talent is in demand within the industry as it has been forecast that engineering employers will need to recruit 2.56 million people by 2022, and 257,000 of these will be new vacancies.

The industry is working hard to attract a more diverse workforce to realign the existing gender bias towards men and to encourage people from a wider range of backgrounds to work in the sector.

The UK has very strong credentials in this sector, as the world’s second largest defence exporter behind the United States.

With an annual national turnover of £35 billion, the defence sector employs around 300,000 people overall in the UK and makes up approximately 10% of the country’s manufacturing output.

The manufacture of pharmaceutical products and preparations accounted for £13.34 billion of current price GVA in 2013, approximately 0.8% of the total economy.

The UK is a leading life sciences producer and exporter with a large number of world-class companies specialising in R&D and biotech products.

The chemicals sector is at the very foundation of the UK’s manufacturing industries and is behind a wide variety of products, ranging from lightweight polymers, through to medicines, clean drinking water and even the food we eat.

Around 600,000 people are currently employed in the industry, accounting for 15% of UK manufacturing GVA.

The UK logistics industry is worth £74.45 billion to the economy and employs around 2.2 million people in more than 196,000 companies.

In 2014 the UK rose to 4th position in the World Bank’s list of top logistics performers, behind Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. 1 in 12 working people in the UK is employed in logistics.

Automotive is one of the UK’s leading export sectors by value. It provides around 129,000 jobs in over 2,700 businesses and accounts for 7.3% of manufacturing output. In the half-year from January to June 2014, the UK-based car industry had its best year in new car sales in nine years.

To put it into context, every 20 seconds a car, van, bus or truck rolls off a UK production line. Over 80% of these are exported to more than 100 countries, contributing significantly to the UK’s global competitiveness.

UK aerospace has a 17% global market share. The sector employs more than 3,000 companies across the UK and creates annual revenues of over £24 billion, exporting around 75% of everything it produces.

The sector employs 100,000 people and is expected to grow at a rate of 6.8% over the next few years, prompted by a global increase in air traffic, which is anticipated to double in the next 15 years.

Professional services are critical to the success of the UK economy, representing 15% of UK GDP, 14% of employment and 14% of exports.

Those working in professional services provide specialist advice to their clients across a wide range of disciplines, from accountancy to legal services, marketing and management consultancy.

The public sector spends over £150 billion a year on the goods and services needed to deliver public services. To achieve value for money (VFM) for the taxpayer, an effectively managed procurement process that is properly planned and executed is essential.

Public procurement is the process whereby public sector organisations acquire goods, services and works from third parties. These range from routine items (e.g. stationery, temporary office staff, furniture or printed forms), to complex spend areas (e.g. construction, Private Finance Initiative projects, aircraft carriers or support to major change initiatives).