The number of UK transport, retail and manufacturing businesses snapped up by foreign companies rose for the third year running in 2025 and far outstripped our acquisitions of overseas firms, official data showed.
There were a total of 256 UK businesses within manufacturing, transport and wholesale acquired by foreign companies last year, according to the Office for National Statistics.
This were more than the 223 in 2024 and 197 in 2023.
Of the businesses bought last year, 90 were classed as within wholesale, transport and accommodation.
This was in contrast to the 63 British companies within those categories that acquired overseas firms last year.
ParcelHero pointed out that because the government grouped retail, transport, warehousing and postal courier companies together with accommodation and hospitality in its calculations, then some of the transactions included businesses not directly involved in logistics and retail.
“Nonetheless, the figures do give a useful overall picture of the current state of the retail and logistics sector,” added David Jinks, head of consumer research at ParcelHero.
“In 2024, just 72 UK companies in the sector were taken over by overseas firms, with the combined value of those acquisitions just £3.8bn.
“Similarly, 151 manufacturers valued at over £1m were taken over by foreign companies in 2024, with a combined value of £6.3bn.
“That means that the value of companies in the ONS category which includes retail, transport and warehousing companies bought by foreign firms jumped by 363% last year, while the value of UK manufacturers acquired by overseas companies rose by around 185%,” he said.
“As just one example, the UK’s Deliveroo plc was taken over by the US company Doordash Inc in a merger that was completed in the final quarter of 2025.”
Jinks said investment in UK firms by companies based overseas could bring benefits and had upsides too: “Not only in terms of new capital and investment, but also fresh ideas and perspectives,” he added.
