Table of Contents
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2
1.1. The SME market has stalled due to tough economic conditions 2
1.2. Key findings 2
1.3. Critical success factors 2
2. THE SHAPE OF THE UK SME SPACE 7
2.1. The SME market is the backbone of the UK economy 7
2.1.1. The number of UK SMEs continues to grow, driven by micro enterprises 7
2.1.2. UK GDP growth remained slow throughout 2017 10
2.1.3. The number of company liquidations rose again in 2017 after falling between 2008 and 2015 12
2.1.4. Construction leads the SME market by business numbers, while wholesale dominates turnover 14
2.1.5. The number of companies registered has risen despite an increase in dissolutions 16
2.1.6. Business and consumer confidence have been affected by the possibility of a no deal Brexit 18
2.1.7. UK unemployment continues to fall to record lows 19
2.1.8. Business profits are likely to fall if household disposable income is squeezed 20
2.2. Key issues affecting SMEs 21
2.2.1. Pension contributions, exchange rates, and business rates mean costs have mounted for SMEs 21
2.2.2. Rising employment costs and economic uncertainty have led to growing use of freelancers 26
2.2.3. The government and banks are aiming to spark investment in SMEs 27
2.2.4. The manufacturing sector is most at risk from a no deal Brexit 28
2.2.5. The end of freedom of movement will hit food and drink manufacturers hardest 29
2.2.6. SMEs are most concerned about Brexit and cybercrime 30
3. THE UK SME INSURANCE MARKET 33
3.1.1. The SME sector is strategically important for insurance 33
3.1.2. The SME market registered limited growth in 2017 33
3.1.3. Motor-based categories have kept rates steady as competition stunts growth 36
3.1.4. Public liability remains the leading SME insurance product 37
3.1.5. Insurance product penetration varies by SME industry, in line with the risks involved 38
3.1.6. Declining penetration rates are a growing issue insurers need to address 40
4. THE FUTURE OF THE UK SME INSURANCE MARKET 44
4.1. SME insurance is set to exceed £8.0bn by 2020, but growth will remain slow 44
4.1.1. Cybercrime remains a key worry, and insurers need to respond 46
4.1.2. The changing face of SMEs needs to be catered for 46
4.1.3. The insurance industry is looking to real-time insight to help SMEs 47
5. APPENDIX 48
5.1. Abbreviations and acronyms 48
5.2. Methodology 48
5.2.1. GlobalData’s 2018 UK SME Insurance Survey 48
5.2.2. Market sizing 48
5.3. Bibliography 48

List of Tables
Table 1: The number of SMEs in the UK private sector, by business size, 2010-17 8
Table 2: UK private enterprise volume, employment, employees, and turnover by business size, 2017 9
Table 3: UK GDP quarterly growth, 2009-Q2 2018 12
Table 4: The number of company registrations in the UK (000s), 2013-18 18
Table 5: Employers’ minimum pension contribution, 2018-19 23
Table 6: The UK minimum wage by age group, 2010-18 26
Table 7: SMEs’ top concerns, 2018 32
Table 8: UK SME GWP and annual growth by size of business, 2015-17 35
Table 9: Insurance penetration among surveyed SMEs, by industry, 2018 40
Table 10: SME insurance penetration rates by size of business, 2015-18 41
Table 11: Penetration rates by product line and size of business, changes from 2017 to 2018 42
Table 12: UK SME insurance market forecast, 2018e-22f 45

List of Figures
Figure 1: Micro businesses accounted for 95.6% of enterprises in the UK in 2017 10
Figure 2: UK GDP continues to grow, but at a very slow rate 11
Figure 3: Further growth in company liquidations was seen in 2017 13
Figure 4: Wholesale and retail features prominently in all four SME categories for number of businesses 15
Figure 5: Wholesale and retail is particularly dominant in terms of SME segment by turnover 16
Figure 6: New company registrations continue to grow 17
Figure 7: The FSB’s Small Business Confidence Index has fluctuated since Brexit 19
Figure 8: The UK unemployment rate has continued to decline 20
Figure 9: Real wages remain stagnant in the UK despite growth in nominal wages 21
Figure 10: The pound has weakened in comparison to both the US dollar and the euro 22
Figure 11: Inflation experienced sharp growth in September 2018 24
Figure 12: Business rates are set to rise in April 2019 25
Figure 13: Larger SMEs are particularly reliant on freelance workers 27
Figure 14: Nearly a quarter of food and drink manufacturing employees are migrant workers 30
Figure 15: Brexit once again tops SMEs’ list of concerns 31
Figure 16: The UK SME market grew slightly to £7.8bn in 2017 34
Figure 17: Micro enterprises account for 61.6% of SME market GWP 36
Figure 18: Commercial vehicle premium hikes have been a key factor in overall market growth 37
Figure 19: Public liability insurance has consistently high penetration across all types of SME 38
Figure 20: Public liability is still the leading product, with both key man and cyber recording notable growth 43
Figure 21: SME insurance is set to see slow but steady growth up to 2022 45