- UK transport and storage companies report unusually low concern about global risks in 2026, including cyber attacks, international conflict, trade barriers, and climate change, with over half claiming they are “not concerned” about supply chain disruptions over the next year.
- Survey data highlights a stark contrast with manufacturing and retail sectors, which show higher levels of worry, raising questions about whether logistics firms’ confidence reflects true resilience or potential complacency.
- Experts caution that transport and storage companies remain dependent on the performance of manufacturing and retail partners, meaning geopolitical, technological, or environmental disruptions in allied sectors could still create significant challenges despite the industry’s current optimism.
In a surprising revelation from the latest Government survey, transport and storage companies in the UK appear markedly unconcerned about global risks that could disrupt their operations in 2026, including cyber attacks, international conflict, trade barriers, and climate change. The results, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in its Business Insights Survey, suggest that the sector is either exceptionally robust or potentially dangerously complacent.
The survey, conducted between 15 and 28 December 2025, asked UK businesses across multiple sectors about their concerns regarding factors that could impact their supply chains over the next year. While uncertainty and risk remain high across industries, transport and storage firms—encompassing logistics, parcel delivery, haulage, and warehousing companies—reported levels of concern far lower than their retail and manufacturing partners.
According to David Jinks M.I.L.T., Head of Consumer Research at international delivery specialist Parcelhero, the results raise important questions about the sector’s preparedness. “Only 6 percent of transport and storage firms expressed concern about cyber attacks on their supply chain, compared to 13.1% of manufacturers and 17.2 percent of retailers,” he said. Jinks noted that recent high-profile hacks affecting Marks & Spencer and Jaguar Land Rover underscore the potential vulnerability of supply chains to cyber threats, making the transport sector’s low level of concern noteworthy.
Concerns about international conflict, too, seem muted among logistics firms. Just 6.5 percent of transport and storage companies cited global conflict as a potential risk, compared with 13.8 percent of manufacturers and 15.6 percent of retailers. The survey comes against a backdrop of ongoing geopolitical tension, including the war in Ukraine and disputes over strategic regions such as Greenland. Yet the majority of logistics firms appear unperturbed.
Trade barriers, another critical concern, also elicited surprisingly low levels of worry. Only 3.4 percent of transport and storage companies reported apprehension over the potential impact of tariffs and other trade restrictions on their supply chains. This stands in stark contrast to 27.8 percent of manufacturers and 19 percent of retailers who indicated trade barriers as a significant concern. The findings come at a time when global trade is being closely monitored, particularly given former US President Donald Trump’s recent willingness to use tariffs as a political tool, prompting analysts to caution that the sector’s confidence may be tested in the coming months.
Climate change, while often cited as an emerging risk for global business, appears to be the least worrisome issue for the transport and storage sector. Fewer than 1 percent of companies reported concern about climate-related disruptions to their operations, a figure so small it could not be accurately recorded. In comparison, 5.8 percent of manufacturers and 5.4 percent of retailers reported ongoing climate-related worries.
Overall, the survey revealed that a remarkable 56.7 percent of transport and storage firms reported that they were “not concerned about factors impacting supply chains over the next 12 months.” This level of confidence far exceeds that of allied sectors, where only 38.9 percent of manufacturers and 37.6 percent of retailers said they had no concerns.
Parcelhero’s analysis indicates that this optimism may not be entirely unwarranted. The sector has shown increasing awareness of cyber threats, with concern rising slightly from 3.1 percent in September 2025 to 6 percent in the latest survey. However, concern about international conflict and trade barriers has actually declined compared to 2024 figures, when 8.2 percent of firms were worried about conflict and 5.6 percent about trade restrictions.
Despite the apparent confidence, experts warn that transport and storage firms cannot operate in isolation. “Their fortunes are tightly linked to the performance and resilience of manufacturing and retail partners,” Jinks explained. Events that impact retail and manufacturing—whether geopolitical, technological, or environmental—will inevitably influence demand for logistics and delivery services.
Looking ahead, Parcelhero highlights the importance of partnering with retailers that have strong omnichannel strategies. Its report, “2030: Death of the High Street,” emphasizes that businesses thriving in the coming decade will be those connected to retailers capable of both in-store and online sales success. Logistics providers aligned with these retailers are likely to prosper, while others could face unexpected challenges if their partners’ operations are disrupted.
While the sector’s optimism is striking, the question remains whether this confidence reflects genuine robustness or a degree of complacency. With cyber threats growing, international tensions ongoing, trade barriers unpredictable, and climate change accelerating, the transport and storage industry may need to reassess its risk management strategies to ensure that optimism does not translate into vulnerability.
