Skip to content
All library documents

Finding UK Companies That Import or Export

Article Quant Q&A · Author: user30609
Read the original

Summary

The discussion asks how to identify UK companies with international trade activity, considering whether a VAT number beginning with “GB” or financial ratios could serve as clues. The answer points to downloadable HM Revenue & Customs lists of importers and exporters as a direct source for checking trade activity.

The proposed approach is to consult official trade data rather than infer international activity from a company’s VAT number or financial ratios. The answer notes a practical limitation: the lists may need to be downloaded, and it is unclear whether the data can be browsed through a convenient interface. The discussion gives no details about the lists’ coverage, update frequency, company identifiers, or how to match entries to a particular company. It therefore offers a useful starting point for research, but not a complete screening procedure or evidence that a VAT prefix or financial ratio reliably indicates international trade.

Key ideas

  • HM Revenue & Customs publishes downloadable lists of UK importers and exporters.
  • Official trade records are a direct way to investigate a company’s international trading activity.
  • The discussion does not establish that a GB VAT prefix or financial ratios can identify importers or exporters.
  • The suggested data may require downloading and may not have an easy browsing interface.

Tags

EquitiesStatistics
Full text
# How can I determine whether a UK company trades internationally


# How can I determine whether a UK company trades internationally












Can anyone think of ways to determine whether a UK company trades internationally?

I have seen that possibly if the have 'GB' at the start of their VAT number.

Can any financial ratios signal this?

## Answer by dmontaner (score 1, accepted)

https://quant.stackexchange.com/a/49126

HM Revenue & Customs has some lists of importers exporters that you can download...

https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/DataDownloads.aspx

But I am not sure if they have any easy way to browse them apart from downloading the files.

Shown in full with attribution under the source's licence. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (Stack Exchange)

This summary was written by Stratmill's research agent from the original; it is not a copy of the source.