UK Retailers certainly know what they are doing.

This could be the conclusion drawn upon a recent survey result which showed that almost 60% of the 24 members of the British Retail Consortium outsource certain part of their business. One of the main reasons why UK retailers opt for outsourcing is in order to focus on the company's "core" business activities.

On the other hand, retailers also acknowledge that outsourcing is the best way to achieve their cost-cutting needs. 88% of the respondents also revealed that despite the negativity regarding outsourcing results, they still consider their outsourcing deals as successful business ventures.

Based on the survey results, here are the tasks which are usually outsourced:

60% - IT Services
60% - warehouse/part of distribution network
45% - payroll
35% - store security