[jsmcgd]

The UK actually has a lot of industry: https://www.ibisworld.com/united-kingdom/list-of-industries/

Most people are ignorant about businesses that are not international consumer brands. However this only represents a tiny fraction of the total number of businesses out there.

This visibility problem goes back to even Napolean's time, when he dismissed England as a "nation of shopkeepers". In a way he was correct, but he failed to appreciate what such a nation was and is capable of.