TikTok’s electric power company, TikTok Shop, has grown rapidly in the United Kingdom in recent years and has become the fastest-growing online retail platform, with a significant boost to local SMEs and the economy. TikTok plans to further expand investment in the United Kingdom to consolidate its position in the largest European user market.
According to official TikTok statements and media reports such as Reuters, TikTok plans to increase the number of its British employees to 3,000 by 2025, with more than 500 new jobs to cover such areas as content clearance, marketing, technology development and electrical power operation. The new office, located in London and covering 135,000 square feet, is expected to be operational by early 2026, with a total investment of Pound140 million (approximately RMB 1,362 million). This investment brought TikTok ‘ s total investment in British infrastructure to Pound140 million, an increase of about 30 per cent over 2024.
TikTok Shop, the core of TikTok ‘ s power company business, achieved explosive growth in the United Kingdom in 2024. According to TikTok data, as of June 2025, over 1.5 million British SMEs were active on the platform, covering such items as fashion, make-up, home and electronics. TikTok Shop helps small and medium-sized enterprises reach 30 million British users (about half of the British population) through short video and live delivery modes. In 2024, TikTok Shop’s British turnover grew by 200 per cent over the same period and is expected to reach Pound5 billion in 2025.
According to the 2023 study, British SMEs contributed £1.6 billion (approximately £15.6 billion) to the economic value of the TikTok platform, generating 32,000 jobs, 74 per cent of which came from outside London. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), chiefly known as TikTok Shop, have “reverted the pattern of sales”, particularly for start-up brands and local retailers.
TikTok plans to further deepen the British market by 2026, expanding TikTok Shop ‘ s product coverage and introducing more luxury goods and technology brands. The new office will be equipped with the AI Research and Development Centre to optimize the Market Spope and recommended algorithms and to improve user experience and advertising efficiency.
TikTok also plans to work with the British Government to launch an SME support programme to provide training and subsidies, with a target of 500,000 new SMEs in 2026. With the global electricity market projected to reach $2.5 trillion in 2028, TikTok Shop is expected to achieve a £10 billion deal in the United Kingdom to become the leader of European electricians.
