Almost 80% of UK-based small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) expect their peak season sales to increase compared to 2024.
According to the research conducted by transportation company FedEx, 31% of SMEs based in the UK expect sales to be ‘significantly better’ than in the run up to Christmas 2024.
“Our latest figures show a real sense of optimism for the peak holiday season, highlighting the remarkable resilience of internationally trading UK SMEs,” stated Alun Cornish, managing director of UK Operations at FedEx.
“British SMEs are taking control. They’re using the power of e-commerce events not only at home, but as a strategic tool to reach new customers in global markets,” he added.
The research also found that businesses in Turkey (95%), Poland (87%), and the Netherlands (85%) had strong hopes for the holiday season.
Additionally, on average, UK small businesses predicted that more than a third (38%) of their holiday sales would come from regions outside of Europe.
The top regions for UK SMEs are the USA (72%), other European countries (68%), the Middle East (43%) and Africa (29%).
The survey also finds that most of the UK SMEs polled (88%) see e-commerce shopping festivals, such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Singles’ Day, as important to their sales.
Overall, the proportion of European SMEs agreeing that festivals are important was highest amongst businesses dealing in both consumer and business goods (94%).
The research was based on a poll of 1,200 organisations across nine European markets, conducted in September 2025.
