1,326 businesses in Leicester appear in HMRC customs records for the last six months. That makes it the busiest trading location in Leicestershire. Most of that activity sits in machinery and mechanical appliances, plastics and plastic articles, electrical machinery and electronics. Looking ahead, our model expects import activity here to pick up by around 4.0% over the next three months.
Refreshed every 24 hours · last run 25/08/2026 at 11:41HMRC release in view: Jun 26Snapshot: 2026-08-25.1
12,130Import declarations▼ 3.2% on the 6 months before
4,902Export declarations
+4.0%Forecast, next 3 monthsBased on 2 years of data
1,326Trading 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 1,326 businesses.
★ Most active in LeicesterFiled more customs declarations than any other Leicester business over the last six months — roughly 3% of the town's total import activity, mostly in salt, stone, plaster and cement.
Most active business
METTLER-TOLEDO LIMITED
379 import declarations79 export declarationsLE4 *Ch. 25Ch. 28Ch. 29Ch. 31Active in 6 of the last 6 months
Recent shipments include instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis, or for measuring or checking viscosity, porosity, expansion, surface tension or the like, or for measuring or checking quantities of heat, sound or light, n.e.s., balances of a sensitivity of 50 mg or better, with or without weights, instruments, appliances and machines for measuring or checking, not elsewhere specified in chapter 90 (excl. optical).
▲ Expected to increase by 7.8% over the next 3 months, based on their last 2 years
Imports — 2 years of monthly activity379 in the last 6 months
Exports — 2 years of monthly activity79 in the last 6 months
Earlier monthsLast 6 monthsOur forecast for the next 3
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Among the most active
LESTERCAST LIMITED
95 import declarations70 export declarationsLE4 *Ch. 28Ch. 73Ch. 82Ch. 83Active in 6 of the last 6 months
Recent shipments include hooks and other coupling devices, buffers, and parts thereof, for railway or tramway locomotives or rolling stock, n.e.s., parts and accessories, for tractors, motor vehicles for the transport of ten or more persons, motor cars and other motor vehicles principally designed for the transport of persons, motor vehicles for the transport of goods and special purpose motor v, parts of railway or tramway locomotives, n.e.s..
▲ Expected to increase by 5.9% over the next 3 months, based on their last 2 years
Imports — 2 years of monthly activity95 in the last 6 months
Exports — 2 years of monthly activity70 in the last 6 months
Earlier monthsLast 6 monthsOur forecast for the next 3
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Among the most active
AMETEK (GB) LIMITED
248 import declarations137 export declarationsLE4 *Ch. 38Ch. 39Ch. 40Ch. 42Active in 6 of the last 6 months
Recent shipments include instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis, or for measuring or checking viscosity, porosity, expansion, surface tension or the like, or for measuring or checking quantities of heat, sound or light, n.e.s., spectrometers, spectrophotometers and spectrographs using optical radiations, such as uv, visible, ir, instruments and apparatus for measuring or detecting ionising radiations.
▲ Expected to increase by 32.5% over the next 3 months, based on their last 2 years
Imports — 2 years of monthly activity248 in the last 6 months
Exports — 2 years of monthly activity137 in the last 6 months
Earlier monthsLast 6 monthsOur forecast for the next 3
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Among the most active
KARAGEORGE CORPORATION LTD
272 import declarations72 export declarationsLE2 *Ch. 15Ch. 39Ch. 40Ch. 42Active in 6 of the last 6 months
Recent shipments include footwear with outer soles of rubber, plastics or composition leather, with uppers of leather (excl. covering the ankle, incorporating a protective metal toecap, sports footwear, orthopaedic footwear and toy footwear), footwear with outer soles of rubber, plastics or composition leather, with uppers of leather, covering the ankle (excl. incorporating a protective metal toecap, sports footwear, orthopaedic footwear and toy footwear), men's or boys' trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and shorts, of cotton (excl. knitted or crocheted, underpants and swimwear).
▲ Expected to increase by 23.0% over the next 3 months, based on their last 2 years
Imports — 2 years of monthly activity272 in the last 6 months
Exports — 2 years of monthly activity72 in the last 6 months
Earlier monthsLast 6 monthsOur forecast for the next 3
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Among the most active
SPECIALIST CRAFTS LIMITED
141 import declarations179 export declarationsLE4 *Ch. 14Ch. 25Ch. 30Ch. 32Active in 6 of the last 6 months
Recent shipments include artist's, student's or signboard painter's colours, modifying tints, amusement colours and the like, in tablets, tubes, jars, bottles, pans or similar packages (excl. those in sets), pencils and crayons, with leads encased in a sheath, sets of artist's, student's or signboard painter's colours, modifying tints, amusement colours and the like, in tablets, tubes, jars, bottles, pans or similar packages.
▼ Expected to slow by 8.6% over the next 3 months, based on their last 2 years
Imports — 2 years of monthly activity141 in the last 6 months
Exports — 2 years of monthly activity179 in the last 6 months
Earlier monthsLast 6 monthsOur forecast for the next 3
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1,316 more Leicester businesses
Every importer and exporter in LE1 / LE2 / LE3 / LE4 with monthly activity, 24-month indicators, forecasts, Companies House records, AI research and validated contact reveals.
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What Leicester trades
The most frequently declared goods across all 1,326 businesses in the last six months — useful for picking which trade lanes to prospect.
Articles of plastics and articles of other materials of heading 3901 to 3914, n.e.s (excl. goods of 9619)Women's or girls' dresses of synthetic fibres, knitted or crocheted (excl. petticoats)T-shirts, singlets and other vests of cotton, knitted or crochetedJerseys, pullovers, cardigans, waistcoats and similar articles, of cotton, knitted or crocheted (excl. wadded waistcoats)Tricycles, scooters, pedal cars and similar wheeled toys; dolls' carriages; dolls; other toys; reduced-size "scale" recreational models, working or not; puzzles of all kindsSpecial garments for professional, sporting or other purposes, n.e.s., of man-made fibres, knitted or crochetedJerseys, pullovers, cardigans, waistcoats and similar articles, of man-made fibres, knitted or crocheted (excl. wadded waistcoats)Wooden furniture (excl. for offices, kitchens and bedrooms, and seats)
Common questions about trade in Leicester
How many businesses import or export from Leicester?
HMRC customs records show 1,326 businesses in Leicester (LE1, LE2, LE3, LE4) filed declarations over the last six months — 12,130 import declarations and 4,902 export declarations in total. This page is rebuilt every 24 hours as new HMRC data is published.
What do Leicester businesses import most?
The most common category is machinery and mechanical appliances. Across all Leicester traders the leading goods are articles of plastics and articles of other materials of heading 3901 to 3914, n.e.s (excl. goods of 9619), women's or girls' dresses of synthetic fibres, knitted or crocheted (excl. petticoats), t-shirts, singlets and other vests of cotton, knitted or crocheted, jerseys, pullovers, cardigans, waistcoats and similar articles, of cotton, knitted or crocheted (excl. wadded waistcoats). You can filter the full list by HMRC category once logged in.
Is trade from Leicester growing?
Import activity is down 3.2% compared with the previous six months. Our model, which reads two years of monthly history, expects the next three months to rise by roughly 4.0%. That figure is our estimate, not an HMRC projection.
How do I get contact details for Leicester importers?
Create an account to see all 1,326 businesses, open their Companies House records, run AI research on their website and buying signals, and reveal validated email and LinkedIn contacts.
Nearby in Leicestershire
Other Leicestershire locations with active customs entries.