Profitability of small and medium enterprises (SME) in the wholesale and retail sector in the United Kingdom (UK) in the years ending June 2014 and June 2020*
Characteristic
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Made a profit
66%
73%
74%
76%
69%
65%
60%
Broke even
12%
10%
10%
10%
11%
11%
6%
Made a loss
16%
11%
8%
8%
8%
10%
11%
Didn't know/refused to say
6%
7%
8%
6%
12%
14%
23%
The chart is not accessible to screen readers. Please switch to the table view to access the data.
* Wholesale and retail trade; repairs. ** The respondent was the person in charge of managing the business’s finances. Data was collected via interview.
In order to qualify for interview, SMEs had to meet the following criteria in addition to the quotas by size, sector and region:
Not 50%+ owned by another company
Not run as a social enterprise or as a not for profit organisation
Turnover of less than £25m
Citation formats
Profitability of wholesale/retail sector small & medium enterprise (SME) UK 2014-2020
Data on the profitability of small and medium enterprises (SME) in the wholesale and retail sector in the United Kingdom (UK) from the years ending June 2014 to 2020 shows that in June 2020, it was found that a total of 60 percent of such SMEs reported having made a net profit.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ can support your business.
BDRC Continental. (September 19, 2020). Profitability of small and medium enterprises (SME) in the wholesale and retail sector in the United Kingdom (UK) in the years ending June 2014 and June 2020* [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved July 29, 2026, from /statistics/291377/small-and-medium-enterprises-sme-wholesale-retail-profitability-uk/
BDRC Continental. "Profitability of small and medium enterprises (SME) in the wholesale and retail sector in the United Kingdom (UK) in the years ending June 2014 and June 2020*." Chart. September 19, 2020. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed July 29, 2026. /statistics/291377/small-and-medium-enterprises-sme-wholesale-retail-profitability-uk/
BDRC Continental. (2020). Profitability of small and medium enterprises (SME) in the wholesale and retail sector in the United Kingdom (UK) in the years ending June 2014 and June 2020*. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 29, 2026. /statistics/291377/small-and-medium-enterprises-sme-wholesale-retail-profitability-uk/
BDRC Continental. "Profitability of Small and Medium Enterprises (Sme) in The Wholesale and Retail Sector in The United Kingdom (Uk) in The Years Ending June 2014 and June 2020*." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 19 Sep 2020, /statistics/291377/small-and-medium-enterprises-sme-wholesale-retail-profitability-uk/
BDRC Continental, Profitability of small and medium enterprises (SME) in the wholesale and retail sector in the United Kingdom (UK) in the years ending June 2014 and June 2020* ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/291377/small-and-medium-enterprises-sme-wholesale-retail-profitability-uk/ (last visited July 29, 2026)
Profitability of small and medium enterprises (SME) in the wholesale and retail sector in the United Kingdom (UK) in the years ending June 2014 and June 2020* [Graph], BDRC Continental, September 19, 2020. [Online]. Available: /statistics/291377/small-and-medium-enterprises-sme-wholesale-retail-profitability-uk/
