Cyber attacks? International conflict? We’re not worried, say transport & storage firms
In a new government survey, fewer transport & storage businesses say they are worried about the impact of cyber attacks, international conflict, increased trade barriers and climate change than any comparable business sector. Parcelhero asks whether this is a sign of robustness or complacency.
The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) Business Insights Survey reveals that the majority of transport & storage sector companies are significantly less concerned about global issues that could impact their business in 2026 than most other sectors, including their retail and manufacturing partners.
The international delivery expert Parcelhero says that when it comes to the hottest issues worrying businesses today – such as cyber attacks, international conflict, increased trade barriers and climate change – notably fewer transport & storage companies expressed concerns compared to any similar sector.
Parcelhero’s head of consumer research, David Jinks MILT, says: ‘The latest Business Insights Survey, held between 15-28 December 2025, reveals that UK transportation & storage sector businesses (the category which includes logistics, parcels, haulage and warehousing firms) are either in a robust state of preparedness to meet the challenges of the year ahead or they could be in for a rude awakening.
‘Only 6% of transport & storage firms expressed concern about cyber attacks on their supply chain, compared to 13.1% of manufacturers and 17.2% of retailers. Given the impact of recent hacks on Marks & Spencer and JLR (Jaguar Land Rover), that’s an interesting result.
‘With the Ukrainian war still raging and NATO wrestling with America’s desire for Greenland, it’s not surprising that 13.8% of manufacturers and 15.6% of retailers are concerned about the potential impact of international conflict. Here again, though, only 6.5% of transport & storage businesses reported similar concern.
‘Tariffs are an issue that dominated 2025 and have exploded again in 2026. Yet only 3.4% of transport & storage companies expressed worries about increased barriers to trade impacting supply chains. In sharp contrast, a significant 27.8% of manufacturers and 19% of retailers said they are concerned about barriers to trade. In the light of Trump’s willingness to use tariffs to enforce his global political objectives, that view may change over the next few months.
‘There has been a general decline in the number of companies across all business sectors expressing concern about the impact of climate change on their supply chains. Nonetheless, 5.8% of manufacturers and 5.4% of retailers reported they still have concerns about climate change. In another marked contrast, so few transportation & storage firms reported they are concerned about climate change that the number was too small to record (less than 1%).
‘In fact, a notable 56.7% of transport & storage companies reported that their business was “not concerned about factors impacting supply chains over the next 12 months.” That optimism was not reflected by their partners in manufacturing and retail. Only 38.9% of manufacturers and 37.6% of retailers reported no concerns about potential issues impacting their supply chains.
‘However, it wouldn’t be fair to conclude that the entire transport & storage sector is oblivious to the critical issues facing them in 2026. For example, as recently as September, only 3.1% of these companies reported concern about cyber attacks compared to this latest figure of 6%. Clearly, worries about the impact of hacks are growing. In fact, if we go back to the first time this question was asked, in September 2024, the number of transport & storage businesses reporting concern about hacking was too small to be accurately recorded.
‘Conversely, however, fewer transport & storage companies are now concerned about international conflict and increased barriers to trade than they were in 2024. Back then, 5.6% of sector companies were worried about trade barriers and 8.2% about international conflict, compared to today’s figures of 3.4% and 6.5% respectively. Considering the global uncertainty created by president Trump’s tariffs and global policies, the latest results do seem surprising.
‘Looking at the wariness of other closely allied business sectors, transport & storage firms should keep in mind that their fortunes are tied to those of their manufacturing and retail partners. Events that impact retail and manufacturing will undoubtedly influence the demand for logistics and delivery services.
‘One certainty is that it will be those transport & storage companies that are partnered with retailers with strong in-store and online sales that will ultimately prosper. Parcelhero’s influential report “2030: Death of the High Street” reveals that retailers must develop an omnichannel approach. Read the full report at: https://www.parcelhero.com/content/downloads/pdfs/high-street/deathofthehighstreetreport.pdf