Export Strategy After Brexit: Where UK Companies Are Finding Growth
The Post-Brexit Export Landscape
Five years after the UK's departure from the EU single market, the contours of Britain's new trading relationships are becoming clearer. EU trade remains significant — accounting for 42% of UK goods exports — but its share has declined from 48% pre-Brexit, and the trajectory of decline continues.
The narrative of Brexit as purely damaging to UK trade is incomplete. While EU trade has been impaired by new border friction, UK exports to non-EU markets have grown 18% in real terms since 2020, significantly outpacing the 3% growth in EU-destined exports over the same period. UK companies are diversifying, and the diversification is delivering results.
The Growth Markets
Three regions stand out as growth destinations for UK exporters. The Gulf Cooperation Council states — particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia — have emerged as major markets for UK professional services, education, healthcare, and technology exports. The UK-GCC free trade agreement, concluded in 2025, has further reduced barriers and increased market access.
India represents the largest long-term opportunity. The UK-India free trade agreement has opened sectors that were previously difficult for British companies to access, and the cultural and institutional connections between the two countries provide a foundation that competitors from other nations cannot easily replicate. UK exports to India grew 24% in 2025.
Southeast Asia — particularly Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines — is attracting increasing attention from UK exporters. The region's rapid economic growth, young populations, and appetite for British brands, education, and technology create opportunities across multiple sectors. The UK's accession to CPTPP provides a framework for deeper trade engagement.
Services: The UK's Competitive Advantage
The UK's greatest export opportunity lies in services, which account for over 50% of total exports — a higher proportion than any other G7 nation. Financial services, professional services, education, creative industries, and technology services all have strong international demand and play to distinctively British strengths.
Post-Brexit, the UK has pursued services-focused trade agreements that go beyond traditional goods-oriented frameworks. Digital trade chapters, mutual recognition of professional qualifications, and data adequacy provisions are now standard features of UK trade negotiations, reflecting the economy's services orientation.
UK universities generate over £30 billion annually from international students and research partnerships, making education one of the nation's most valuable exports. The government's International Education Strategy aims to increase this further, targeting 600,000 international students per year by 2030.
Practical Challenges for Exporters
Despite the opportunities, UK companies — particularly SMEs — face significant practical challenges in accessing new markets. Market intelligence, regulatory compliance, logistics, payment terms, and cultural adaptation all require capabilities that many smaller companies lack.
The Department for Business and Trade provides support through its export advisory services, but feedback from businesses suggests that this support is inconsistent and often insufficiently tailored to specific market and sector needs. Companies that invest in in-market presence — through local partners, agents, or their own staff — consistently outperform those that attempt to export at arm's length.
Currency risk management remains important for UK exporters. Sterling's volatility since Brexit has created both opportunities and risks, and companies that fail to hedge their currency exposure can see the profitability of export contracts wiped out by adverse exchange rate movements.
Building an Export-Ready Organisation
For UK companies that have historically focused on the domestic market, building export capability requires strategic commitment and investment. It is not a side project that can be delegated to a junior manager — it requires senior leadership attention, dedicated resources, and a willingness to invest in market understanding before expecting returns.
The UK companies that will thrive in the coming decades are those that view international trade not as an optional supplement to domestic revenue but as a core strategic capability. The domestic market, while valuable, is not growing fast enough to sustain the ambitions of dynamic British companies. The growth is overseas, and the companies that reach for it will be rewarded.