Stationery and office supply market in the United Kingdom (UK) - statistics & facts
Whether it be office equipment, or back to school supplies, stationery is an essential part of educational and workplace settings. The British stationery market offers a wide variety of items, ranging from paper products, such as notebooks and binders, to specialized writing and drawing tools. The United Kingdom is among the top trading countries, when it comes to office supplies. In 2023, close to 500 million U.S. dollars’ worth of products were exported from the UK, while China, the largest stationery exporter, traded over ten times more, around 5.5 billion U.S. dollars.
Despite the declining figures of the paper industry, leading retailers have indeed managed to obtain an overall steady growth in recent years.
The declining paper industry
Even though paper production has been decreasing since the past couple of years, the United Kingdom produced 3.2 million metric tons worth of papers and boards in 2023. In the same year, the sales volume of paper or paperboard binders, folders and file covers has only reached 5,800 metric tons, which is almost 9 times less than it was in 2008. Notebook sales also fluctuated in recent years, reaching 33 million British pounds, while the artists’ and writing brushes market managed to increase its sales to 10 million British pounds.Leading stationery suppliers
Probably the biggest and most known stationery company is WHSmith, which, besides stationery, is most famous for their books and magazines. In 2024, the company reached 1.9 billion British pounds in worldwide revenue and increased their travel unit locations to almost 1,300 stores, while operating 500 high street location units. Other companies, such as The Works reached an annual revenue of 282 million British pounds in 2024, while revenue from the Ryman Group amounted to 112 million British pounds.Despite the declining figures of the paper industry, leading retailers have indeed managed to obtain an overall steady growth in recent years.
