Over the last six months, 351 Chester businesses filed customs declarations. It ranks 5 of 22 trading locations in Cheshire. Most of that activity sits in machinery and mechanical appliances, electrical machinery and electronics, optical, photographic and medical instruments. Looking ahead, our model expects import activity here to ease back by around 9.5% over the next three months.
Refreshed every 24 hours · last run 05/10/2026 at 06:14HMRC release in view: Aug 26Snapshot: 2026-10-04.1
2,636Import declarations▼ 17.1% on the 6 months before
1,064Export declarations
−9.5%Forecast, next 3 monthsBased on 2 years of data
351Trading businesses
Top 10 businesses by 6-month activity Free tier
Ranked by declaration volume and months active. Hover any bar in the 24-month indicators for that month's figures. Log in for keyword search and HMRC category filters across all 351 businesses.
★ Most active in ChesterFiled more customs declarations than any other Chester business over the last six months — roughly 7% of the town's total import activity, mostly in dyes, pigments, paints and inks.
Most active business
COLUMBUS MCKINNON CORPORATION LIMITED
175 import declarations50 export declarationsCH1 *Ch. 32Ch. 39Ch. 40Ch. 42Active in 5 of the last 6 months
Recent shipments include gears and gearing for machinery (excl. toothed wheels, chain sprockets and other transmission elements presented separately); ball or roller screws; gear boxes and other speed changers, incl. torque converters, welded link chain of iron or steel (excl. articulated link chain, skid chain and stud-link chain), pulley tackle and hoists, powered by electric motor (other than skip hoists or hoists of a kind used for raising vehicles).
▲ Expected to increase by 18.4% over the next 3 months, based on their last 2 years
Imports — 2 years of monthly activity175 in the last 6 months
Exports — 2 years of monthly activity50 in the last 6 months
Earlier monthsLast 6 monthsOur forecast for the next 3
✦ Research this businessOpen their official record, run AI research, or find the people who make the freight decisions.
Among the most active
PREMIER JET SUPPORT LIMITED
61 import declarations19 export declarationsCH4 *Ch. 32Ch. 34Ch. 35Ch. 38Active in 5 of the last 6 months
Recent shipments include parts of aeroplanes, helicopters or unmanned aircraft, n.e.s. (excl. those for gliders), base metal mountings, fittings and similar articles (excl. locks with keys, clasps and frames with clasps incorporating locks, hinges, castors and mountings and fittings suitable for buildings, motor vehicles or furniture), fire extinguishers, whether or not charged.
▲ Expected to increase by 5.5% over the next 3 months, based on their last 2 years
Imports — 2 years of monthly activity61 in the last 6 months
Exports — 2 years of monthly activity19 in the last 6 months
Earlier monthsLast 6 monthsOur forecast for the next 3
✦ Research this businessOpen their official record, run AI research, or find the people who make the freight decisions.
Among the most active
KATECH INGREDIENT SOLUTIONS LTD
76 import declarations2 export declarationsCH2 *Ch. 04Ch. 11Ch. 13Ch. 17Active in 5 of the last 6 months
Recent shipments include food preparations, n.e.s., dextrins and other modified starches, e.g. pregelatinised or esterified starches, whey and modified whey, whether or not concentrated or containing added sugar or other sweetening matter.
▲ Expected to increase by 10.0% over the next 3 months, based on their last 2 years
Imports — 2 years of monthly activity76 in the last 6 months
Exports — 2 years of monthly activity2 in the last 6 months
Earlier monthsLast 6 monthsOur forecast for the next 3
✦ Research this businessOpen their official record, run AI research, or find the people who make the freight decisions.
Among the most active
SOMAC THREADS LTD
60 import declarations14 export declarationsCH4 *Ch. 35Ch. 39Ch. 48Ch. 52Active in 5 of the last 6 months
Recent shipments include sewing thread of synthetic filaments, whether or not put up for retail sale, single flax yarn, sewing thread of synthetic staple fibres, whether or not put up for retail sale.
▼ Expected to slow by 9.4% over the next 3 months, based on their last 2 years
Imports — 2 years of monthly activity60 in the last 6 months
Exports — 2 years of monthly activity14 in the last 6 months
Earlier monthsLast 6 monthsOur forecast for the next 3
✦ Research this businessOpen their official record, run AI research, or find the people who make the freight decisions.
Among the most active
THE ECLECTIC LIFESTYLE COMPANY LIMITED
27 import declarations43 export declarationsCH1 *Ch. 06Ch. 12Ch. 33Ch. 34Active in 5 of the last 6 months
Recent shipments include tableware, kitchenware, other household articles and toilet articles, of ceramics other than porcelain or china (excl. baths, bidets, sinks and similar sanitary fixtures, statuettes and other ornamental articles, pots, jars, carboys and similar recep, carboys, bottles, flasks, jars, pots, phials and other containers, of glass, of a kind used for the commercial conveyance or packing of goods, and preserving jars, of glass (excl. ampoules, glass inners for containers, with vacuum insulation, perfume, agarbatti.
▼ Expected to slow by 19.0% over the next 3 months, based on their last 2 years
Imports — 2 years of monthly activity27 in the last 6 months
Exports — 2 years of monthly activity43 in the last 6 months
Earlier monthsLast 6 monthsOur forecast for the next 3
✦ Research this businessOpen their official record, run AI research, or find the people who make the freight decisions.
341 more Chester businesses
Every importer and exporter in CH1 / CH2 / CH3 / CH4 with monthly activity, 24-month indicators, forecasts, Companies House records, AI research and validated contact reveals.
Free to browse. An account takes a minute to set up.
What Chester trades
The most frequently declared goods across all 351 businesses in the last six months — useful for picking which trade lanes to prospect.
Articles of iron or steel, n.e.s. (excl. cast articles or articles of iron or steel wire)Sewing thread of synthetic filaments, whether or not put up for retail saleTricycles, scooters, pedal cars and similar wheeled toys; dolls' carriages; dolls; other toys; reduced-size "scale" recreational models, working or not; puzzles of all kindsFood preparations, n.e.s.Beauty or make-up preparations and preparations for the care of the skin (other than medicaments), incl. sunscreen or suntan preparations (excl. medicaments, lip and eye make-up preparations, manicure or pedicure preparations and make-up or skin careCertified reference materialsPreparations of a kind used in animal feeding (excl. dog or cat food put up for retail sale)Articles of jewellery and parts thereof, of precious metal other than silver, whether or not plated or clad with precious metal (excl. articles > 100 years old)
Common questions about trade in Chester
How many businesses import or export from Chester?
HMRC customs records show 351 businesses in Chester (CH1, CH2, CH3, CH4) filed declarations over the last six months — 2,636 import declarations and 1,064 export declarations in total. This page is rebuilt every 24 hours as new HMRC data is published.
What do Chester businesses import most?
The most common category is machinery and mechanical appliances. Across all Chester traders the leading goods are articles of iron or steel, n.e.s. (excl. cast articles or articles of iron or steel wire), sewing thread of synthetic filaments, whether or not put up for retail sale, tricycles, scooters, pedal cars and similar wheeled toys; dolls' carriages; dolls; other toys; reduced-size "scale" recreational models, working or not; puzzles of all kinds, food preparations, n.e.s.. You can filter the full list by HMRC category once logged in.
Is trade from Chester growing?
Import activity is down 17.1% compared with the previous six months. Our model, which reads two years of monthly history, expects the next three months to soften by roughly 9.5%. That figure is our estimate, not an HMRC projection.
How do I get contact details for Chester importers?
Create an account to see all 351 businesses, open their Companies House records, run AI research on their website and buying signals, and reveal validated email and LinkedIn contacts.
Nearby in Cheshire
Other Cheshire locations with active customs entries.