Trading Standards survey 2025 to 2026
Published 8 September 2026
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Trading Standards survey 2025 to 2026
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) annual survey provides a strong picture of Trading Standards activity on intellectual property (IP) crime across the UK. For the period April 2025 to March 2026, 75% of local authorities (142 of 189) responded, demonstrating solid engagement with the survey. It allows us to build a comprehensive picture of IP enforcement activity across the UK.
The survey, which ran from 1 April 2026 to 8 May 2026, provides insights into the scale and scope of IP crime from the perspective of those working on the frontline.
The IPO continues to provide support for Trading Standards Officers to prevent IP crime in different ways:
IP coordinators
Based within regional Trading Standards teams, IP Coordinators raise awareness of intellectual property crime and support investigations and projects across the UK. They help bridge the gap between local and national enforcement, supporting both brands and law enforcement agencies on IP issues.
Tick Box Scheme
The Tick Box scheme helps Trading Standards Officers work closely with self storage businesses to counter IP criminality in their facilities. When committing to a code of practice, businesses commit to working with the Intellectual Property Office, Trading Standards and law enforcement to keep counterfeit and illicit goods out of their facilities. Since launching in 2020, it has supported enforcement activities that has led to the seizure of millions of pounds worth of counterfeit and illicit goods.
Training
The IPO has been supporting intellectual property training for Trading Standards Officers for more than a decade in partnership with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI). In previous years we have provided a range of courses to officers on a wide range of topics. With changes to the professional qualification for Trading Standards Officers, this has decreased significantly to only 2 delivered in 2026 to 2027. This was impacted by the suspension of the IP Competency in Intellectual Property.
Highlights
Most investigated sectors
Clothing and tobacco products remain at the top of the list for IP crime investigations, consistent with trends seen in previous years. However, there has been a substantial increase in cases involving counterfeit toys. The IPO and partners have been proactively seeking to raise awareness through the ‘Fake toys, real harms: experts warn parents of dangerous fake toys’, which may have influenced focus. Other commonly investigated products include perfume, footwear, alcohol, electronic vaping, electricals and watches/jewellery.
Location
Physical premises continue to be the most investigated, followed by social media platforms, outdoor markets and websites.
Links to other crimes
The survey indicates that IP crime is often linked to wider criminal activity. Trading Standards Officers reported connections between counterfeit goods and a range of offences. This year’s survey also illustrates an increase in links to organised crime groups and serious organised crime groups. A recent seizure in Greater Manchester is an example of organised crime groups using self storage facilities to set up shop fronts inside units to sell counterfeits.
Collaboration
Multi-agency collaboration remains an important feature in the fight against IP crime. During 2025 to 26, Trading Standards Officers reported effective collaboration with both public sector bodies and industry partners.
Chart 1. Question: What type of counterfeit/pirated and design infringing goods have you investigated for this fiscal year?
This is a multiple select question based on responses from the 142 Trading Standards departments completing the survey, and each type of good is shown as a proportion to those goods investigated. From this, the top 10 types of good investigated are presented.
| Products | Percentage of responding local authorities |
|---|---|
| Cigarettes/Tobacco | 89% |
| Clothing | 69% |
| Toys | 67% |
| Perfume | 36% |
| Footwear | 33% |
| Alcohol | 31% |
| Electronic Vaping | 31% |
| Electrical Goods | 30% |
| Watches, Jewellery | 25% |
| Cosmetics/Makeup | 23% |
Chart 2. Question: Where have you investigated counterfeit / pirated goods and design infringing since April 2025?
This is a multiple select question based on responses from the 142 Trading Standards departments completing the survey, and each type of location is shown as a proportion to those goods investigated. From this, the top 10 types of location investigated are presented.
| Location | Percentage of responding local authorities |
|---|---|
| Ordinary Shops | 87% |
| Social Media | 35% |
| Outdoor Markets | 25% |
| Websites | 25% |
| Car Boot Sales | 22% |
| Private Residences | 21% |
| On the street | 19% |
| Self Storage Facilities | 19% |
| Online Auction Sites | 16% |
| Factories and Industrial Units | 13% |
Chart 3. Top investigated counterfeit/pirated and design infringing goods (2021/22 to 2025/26)
This is a multiple select question based on responses from Trading Standards departments completing the survey for the past five fiscal years. Each type of location is shown as a proportion to those goods investigated. From this, the top 10 types of location investigated are presented. Full breakdown for previous fiscal years can be found in previous reports at IP enforcement reports.
| Product | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2021/22 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2022/23 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2023/24 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2024/25 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cigarettes/Tobacco | 88% | 81% | 80% | 85% | 89% |
| Clothing | 76% | 66% | 66% | 67% | 69% |
| Toys | 10% | 11% | 18% | 21% | 67% |
| Perfume | 28% | 25% | 35% | 35% | 36% |
| Footwear | 43% | 32% | 33% | 37% | 33% |
| Alcohol | 39% | 26% | 23% | 24% | 31% |
| Electronic Vaping | 35% | 44% | 44% | 36% | 31% |
| Electrical Goods | 27% | 31% | 27% | 25% | 30% |
| Watches, Jewellery | 25% | 29% | 27% | 24% | 25% |
| Cosmetics/Makeup | 28% | 23% | 16% | 20% | 23% |
Chart 4. Top five investigated locations for counterfeit/pirated and design infringing goods (2021/22 to 2025/26)
This is a multiple select question based on responses from Trading Standards departments completing the survey for the past five fiscal years. Each location is shown as a proportion to those goods investigated. From this, the top five types of locations investigated are presented. Full breakdown for previous fiscal years can be found in previous reports at IP enforcement reports.
| Locations | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2021/22 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2022/23 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2023/24 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2024/25 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary Shops | 82% | 83% | 81% | 83% | 87% |
| Social Media | 50% | 44% | 49% | 43% | 35% |
| Outdoor Markets | 22% | 21% | 22% | 23% | 25% |
| Websites | 37% | 33% | 29% | 29% | 25% |
| Car Boot Sales | 10% | 12% | 13% | 17% | 22% |
Chart 5. Top five links between people committing IP crimes and other types of criminality/dishonesty observed during investigations (2021/22 to 2025/26)
This is a multiple select question based on responses from Trading Standards departments completing the survey for the past five fiscal years. Each category of criminality/dishonesty is shown as a proportion to those goods investigated. From this, the top five types of criminality/dishonesty are presented. Full breakdown for previous fiscal years can be found in previous reports at IP enforcement reports.
| Criminality | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2021/22 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2022/23 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2023/24 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2024/25 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organised Criminal Groups | 40% | 34% | 42% | 48% | 64% |
| Money Laundering | 25% | 27% | 25% | 36% | 41% |
| People Trafficking/Modern day slavery | 14% | 15% | 17% | 26% | 25% |
| Serious Organised Crime Groups | 0% | 0% | 15% | 18% | 29% |
| Drug Dealing | 17% | 18% | 18% | 24% | 24% |
Chart 6. Top five public sector bodies engaged over the past five fiscal years
This is a multiple select question based on responses from Trading Standards departments completing the survey for the past five fiscal years. From this, the top five public sector bodies are presented. Full breakdown for previous fiscal years can be found in previous reports at IP enforcement reports.
| Public bodies | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2021/22 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2022/23 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2023/24 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2024/25 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police | 75% | 65% | 75% | 83% | 82% |
| Other Trading Standards Authorities | 70% | 64% | 68% | 78% | 68% |
| Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs | 52% | 43% | 53% | 57% | 61% |
| Companies House (CH) | 43% | 38% | 46% | 45% | 51% |
| IPO Intelligence Hub | 34% | 43% | 35% | 51% | 46% |
Chart 7. Top five industry bodies engaged over the past five fiscal years
This is a multiple select question based on responses from Trading Standards departments completing the survey for the past five fiscal years. The top five industry bodies are presented. Full breakdown for previous fiscal years can be found in previous reports at IP enforcement reports.
| Public bodies | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2021/22 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2022/23 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2023/24 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2024/25 | Percentage of responding local authorities in 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police | 75% | 65% | 75% | 83% | 82% |
| Other Trading Standards Authorities | 70% | 64% | 68% | 78% | 68% |
| Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs | 52% | 43% | 53% | 57% | 61% |
| Companies House (CH) | 43% | 38% | 46% | 45% | 51% |
| IPO Intelligence Hub | 34% | 43% | 35% | 51% | 46% |