CREATIVE UK

Creative Industries is now the second largest sector in the UK after finance.

It is also one of the fastest growing industries in the world. It is a key element of both the creative economy and the information society, offeing an increasingly significant source of revenue, employment and cultural expression.

This sprawling sector, from film production to software development, represents 7.3% of GDP and employs around one million people. However, the sector faces major hurdles. The government has recently launched a strategy aimed at addressing intellectual property issues. The digital world is awash with piracy and laws are hard to reproduce in the digital world.

ANIMATION
The UK industry overall is a valuable asset to the UK economy. By 2008, it contributed more than £4.8 billion to UK gross domestic product (GDP) and over £1.3 billion to the Exchequer. It directly employs over 33,500 people and Feature Film productions attract an estimated one in eight overseas tourists.

GAMING
The biggest story over the next few years may well be the declining overall importance of static console systems. Last year Sony’s biggest selling game system was the portable PSP. Meanwhile, the Nintendo DS blew out all records for game system hardware unit sales (portable or console) in a single year.

ARTS AND CRAFTS
With a global share of 26%, the UK has by far the largest arts, crafts and antiques market in Europe and is second in the world only to the USA.

FASHION AND PHOTOGRAPHY
Estimates indicate that the adult designer clothing market will achieve slower growth in 2009, but will still outperform all adult clothing, at +2.5% compared with +1.7%. The climate of economic uncertainty means that innovation and the development of both product lines and retail network will generate new gains for designer brands and retailers.