Fastest Declining Industries in the UK by Revenue Growth (%) in 2020

1. Solar Panel Installation in the UK

2019-2020 Revenue Growth: -28.9%

Industry operators install small-scale solar panel systems for households and businesses. The UK solar market has exploded over the past 15 years, with more than 13,000 megawatts of capacity installed in 2020, compared with just 12 megawatts in 2006. This has been supported by rising public concern regarding environmental issues, and policy support for renewables as the government pursues climate change targets. However, the solar market has stagnated over much of the past five years, as government support for small-scale solar panel installation has contracted. As a result, industry revenue is expected to decline at a compound annual rate of... Learn More

2. Video & Game Rental in the UK

2019-2020 Revenue Growth: -25.2%

Industry operators rent physical copies of films, TV programmes and games in stores or over the internet to be delivered by post. The industry does not include the provision of media through streaming services, such as through Subscription Video on Demand providers (IBISWorld report SP0.017), or downloadable games. Following the shift in consumer preference towards streaming services and the subsequent exit of major industry players, the industry has undergone massive structural change and is now highly fragmented.

Over the five years through 2020-21, industry revenue is expected to fall at compound annual rate of 35.7%, although this is distorted by the... Learn More

3. Steel Casting in the UK

2019-2020 Revenue Growth: -24.0%

Industry revenue is expected to decline at a compound annual rate of 14.1% over the five years through 2020-21. Revenue is heavily influenced by steel prices, which have fluctuated significantly over the past five years. Industrial production and both residential and non-residential building construction activity rebounded up until the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, which has supported demand. Railway construction activity and infrastructure construction activity related to water industries also increased throughout the five-year period, safeguarding revenue from any significant decline. Nevertheless, import penetration has remained strong over the period, limiting the industry's performance.

Over the two years through 2020-21, industry revenue is... Learn More

4. Hard Coal Mining in the UK

2019-2020 Revenue Growth: -22.0%

In global terms, the United Kingdom is a minor producer of coal. Production has fallen sharply since the early 1970s, plunging when a large number of mines were closed in the mid-1980s. Coal was responsible for over two-thirds of electricity generation in the 1990s, but it is now expected to only generate less than 5% of the UK's electricity. Over the five years through 2020-21, industry revenue is anticipated to fall at a compound annual rate of 29.2% as a result of government efforts to phase out the use of coal and lower prices. In the current year, revenue is... Learn More

5. Organic Basic Chemical Manufacturing in the UK

2019-2020 Revenue Growth: -21.9%

The Organic Basic Chemical Manufacturing industry plays an important role in the chemical sector. Operators convert petrochemical feedstocks into basic organic chemicals such as olefins. Many of the products manufactured by the industry are the fundamental building blocks in a variety of consumer and industrial products. Industry revenue fell significantly in response to the financial crisis and more than halved in the space of two years between 2007-08 and 2009-10. Consequently, the industry is significantly smaller than it was prior to the recession. Additionally, greater production capacity in countries with low-cost manufacturing has made it difficult for operators to regain lost ground over the... Learn More

6. Basic Steel Processing in the UK

2019-2020 Revenue Growth: -18.3%

Firms in the Basic Steel Processing industry produce a variety of intermediate steel products including steel bars, strip, wire and sections. Typically, these would be sold as inputs to businesses in other industries. Over the past five years, industry revenue has been highly volatile, echoing conditions in the wider economy. A significant fall in global steel prices in 2015 caused industry revenue to contract over 2015-16. However, a resurgence in steel prices the following year helped to boost industry revenue by 11.1% in 2016-17. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic in conjunction with global oversupply conditions from 2019 onwards have exerted... Learn More

7. Copper Production in the UK

2019-2020 Revenue Growth: -16.9%

The primary product of the Copper Production industry is copper wire, which has a variety of electrical applications in cars, transport equipment and the construction sector. Products like busbars, which conduct electricity within switchboards and substations, are used in electrical power distribution. Other key products include copper pipes and pipe fittings used in plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. A renewed focus on operational efficiency has led operators to withdraw low-margin products from the market.

Industry revenue is expected to decline at a compound annual rate of 6.1% over the five years through 2020-21 to £434.6 million. The performance of... Learn More

8. Lead, Zinc & Tin Production in the UK

2019-2020 Revenue Growth: -15.3%

Producing lead, zinc and tin involves recovering these metals from ore and scrap, and then refining them. The United Kingdom does not have any zinc mines and tin mining only recommenced in 2015, after the last mine closed in 1998. Lead mining in the United Kingdom is also relatively limited. Over the past five years, operators have generally purchased these metals on global markets and processed them into semi-manufactured goods like alloys, foil and wire. This makes the industry highly vulnerable to volatility in world markets, something from which operators are keen to insulate themselves wherever possible. Technological advances and... Learn More

9. Light Metal Casting in the UK

2019-2020 Revenue Growth: -14.0%

Light metals, such as aluminium, titanium and magnesium, have a low atomic weight compared to other metals. They are cast into components for many engineered products, including automotive and aerospace parts. As a result, the industry's largest downstream markets are motor vehicle manufacturers and aerospace manufacturers. The industry has a moderate level of concentration, with just three firms having market shares greater than 10%, together combining to represent 50.8%.

Declining car registrations, aircraft orders and aluminium prices have weighed on industry revenue growth over the five years through 2020-21. Prior to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, car registrations were declining steeply for... Learn More

10. Metal & Metal Ore Wholesaling in the UK

2019-2020 Revenue Growth: -13.5%

The Metal and Metal Ore Wholesaling industry distributes primary metals, ore and other metal products to the manufacturing and construction sectors, as well as other businesses for end use. Industry performance is directly influenced by world prices of metal commodities and downstream activity. Over the five years through 2020-21, industry revenue is expected to contract at a compound annual rate of 2.8%.

The industry has faced challenging conditions over the past five years, as metal prices have been highly volatile, and industry revenue has largely followed these price movements. Cutbacks in steel production and mining activity from resource-rich nations such as... Learn More