New company registrations, week of 12 Oct 2026

Every week. Every town. Minus the noise.

How many new companies registered in the UK and every town, how many were struck out as shells, holding companies and formation-agent registrations, and how many real businesses were left. A new week every Tuesday, free to explore and cite.

← Earlier 12–18 Oct 2026 Later → Latest week

new companies registered in Cambridge
+18 (+38.3%) on the week before

41.5%

struck out as noise (27 companies)

real, new businesses left
+12 (+46.2%) on the week before

76.3%

of those researched have no website we could find

Firstfile count of the Companies House register: incorporations 12–18 Oct 2026, by registered post town. Frozen when published. Aggregate counts only.

The week in short

In the week of 12 October 2026, 65 new companies registered in Cambridge, 38.3% more than the week before. Firstfile's rules struck out 41.5% as noise, leaving 38 likely new businesses.

Cambridge ranked 27 of 384 towns for new companies. Cambridge ranked 37 of 384 towns for companies kept. The busiest postcode district was CB1, with 13 kept companies. The most common sector among the kept companies was software & it.

#27 of 384 towns for new companies#37 of 384 towns for companies keptThis town's page

Week by week

New companies in Cambridge

Pick a week to see its figures. Green is kept, red is struck out.

28 Sep 5 Oct 12 Oct 19 Oct 26 Oct

Noise

Why companies were struck out

A company can match more than one rule, so these can add up to more than the total. The filter is rules, not AI.

Mass-registration address24

Holding-style company name2

Holding or dormant activity code4

Other (company type, PO box, overseas)1

Where

Busiest postcode districts

Where the kept companies are based.

CB113

CB48

CB54

CB223

CB243

CB232

CB32

CB21

CB211

CB251

Sectors

What they actually do

From AI models reading each kept company and its website.

Software & IT11

Consultancy5

Construction & trades3

Haulage & courier3

Food & drink venue2

Health & care2

Online retail1

Security services1

Shop / retail1

Professions

Leads for each profession

Kept companies scoring 60 or more. Scores are rules, not AI.

Accountants21

Insurance brokers24

Web designers14

Card payments & tills5

Payroll & HR12

Van & fleet leasing7

Leaderboard

Most new companies this week

384 towns with at least 5 kept companies this week. Click a town to compare it with Cambridge.

Most new companies Most kept Biggest rise Noisiest Cleanest

#	Town	Most new companies	New	Kept	Noise	Kept, on last week
1	London	4,153	4,153	1,528	63.2%	+52
2	Manchester	489	489	326	33.3%	+87
3	Birmingham	403	403	289	28.3%	+8
4	Glasgow	187	187	131	29.9%	-21
5	Liverpool	168	168	125	25.6%	+38
6	Leeds	151	151	110	27.2%	+1
7	Leicester	135	135	98	27.4%	-32
8	Nottingham	129	129	107	17.1%	+9
9	Bristol	126	126	104	17.5%	+1
10	Wolverhampton	118	118	95	19.5%	+10
11	Ilford	113	113	78	31.0%	-6
12	Coventry	112	112	96	14.3%	+40
13	Edinburgh	111	111	66	40.5%	-3
14	Bradford	109	109	89	18.3%	+16
15	Bury St. Edmunds	103	103	5	95.1%	-4
16	Cardiff	102	102	67	34.3%	+12
17	Sheffield	98	98	78	20.4%	+3
18	Luton	93	93	73	21.5%	+6
19	Bolton	90	90	58	35.6%	+1
20	Harrow	86	86	53	38.4%	+2
21	Doncaster	85	85	48	43.5%	+6
22	Mildenhall	83	83	13	84.3%	+2
23	Newcastle upon Tyne	81	81	68	16.0%	+3
24	Derby	78	78	45	42.3%	-5
25	Romford	77	77	59	23.4%	+14
26	Stoke on Trent	70	70	61	12.9%	+11
27	Cambridge	65	65	38	41.5%	+12
28	Oldham	65	65	52	20.0%	+5
29	Northampton	64	64	55	14.1%	+10
30	Southampton	59	59	57	3.4%	+11
31	Slough	58	58	52	10.3%	-7
32	Salford	57	57	39	31.6%	+15
33	Milton Keynes	55	55	42	23.6%	-6
34	Norwich	55	55	43	21.8%	+13
35	Middlesbrough	54	54	49	9.3%	+15
36	Hounslow	52	52	47	9.6%	+12
37	Peterborough	50	50	39	22.0%	0
38	Poole	50	50	24	52.0%	-2
39	Ipswich	49	49	28	42.9%	+6
40	Reading	49	49	45	8.2%	-10
41	Belfast	47	47	35	25.5%	-1
42	Stockport	45	45	36	20.0%	-5
43	Blackburn	44	44	36	18.2%	+2
44	Croydon	44	44	33	25.0%	-22
45	Huddersfield	44	44	36	18.2%	+2
46	Swansea	44	44	31	29.5%	+10
47	Hayes	43	43	36	16.3%	+7
48	Walsall	43	43	39	9.3%	+9
49	Warrington	43	43	25	41.9%	-12
50	Bedford	42	42	29	31.0%	-3
51	Preston	42	42	33	21.4%	-5
52	Ashford	41	41	33	19.5%	+10
53	Edgware	41	41	25	39.0%	+1
54	Hull	41	41	36	12.2%	-3
55	Rotherham	40	40	27	32.5%	+9
56	Ruislip,	39	39	10	74.4%	-1
57	Solihull	39	39	20	48.7%	-2
58	Southall	39	39	35	10.3%	+7
59	Bournemouth	38	38	31	18.4%	-8
60	Brighton	38	38	30	21.1%	+1
61	Wembley	38	38	29	23.7%	-5
62	Gloucester	37	37	21	43.2%	-5
63	Aberdeen	36	36	31	13.9%	+4
64	Colchester	36	36	24	33.3%	-5
65	Enfield	36	36	24	33.3%	+7
66	Dagenham	35	35	34	2.9%	+2
67	Altrincham	34	34	15	55.9%	+1
68	Stockton-On-Tees	33	33	27	18.2%	+5
69	Oxford	32	32	30	6.2%	+5
70	Aylesbury	31	31	28	9.7%	+11
71	Basildon	31	31	25	19.4%	+11
72	Exeter	31	31	21	32.3%	-1
73	Watford	31	31	21	32.3%	-9
74	Swindon	30	30	26	13.3%	-5
75	Uxbridge	30	30	17	43.3%	-9
76	Cheltenham	29	29	21	27.6%	+1
77	Wakefield	29	29	25	13.8%	+3
78	St. Albans	28	28	20	28.6%	+7
79	York	28	28	22	21.4%	-5
80	High Wycombe	27	27	20	25.9%	+1
81	Lincoln	27	27	22	18.5%	-1
82	Orpington	27	27	16	40.7%	+7
83	Plymouth	27	27	23	14.8%	-9
84	St. Helens	27	27	20	25.9%	+7
85	West Bromwich	27	27	22	18.5%	+2
86	Chatham	26	26	21	19.2%	+9
87	Dartford	26	26	18	30.8%	+1
88	Essex	26	26	25	3.8%	+2
89	Maidstone	26	26	21	19.2%	+5
90	Rochdale	26	26	22	15.4%	-9
91	Worcester	26	26	21	19.2%	+5
92	Barnsley	25	25	18	28.0%	-3
93	Bury	25	25	21	16.0%	+4
94	Halifax	25	25	13	48.0%	-6
95	Newport	25	25	22	12.0%	-8
96	Nuneaton	24	24	18	25.0%	+1
97	Portsmouth	24	24	18	25.0%	+3
98	Blackpool	23	23	16	30.4%	+10
99	Borehamwood	23	23	13	43.5%	+3
100	Gravesend	23	23	19	17.4%	+1
101	Kettering	23	23	16	30.4%	+8
102	Sunderland	23	23	20	13.0%	+1
103	Telford	23	23	21	8.7%	+4
104	Wellingborough	23	23	20	13.0%	+5
105	Wigan	23	23	17	26.1%	+2
106	Woking	23	23	21	8.7%	+10
107	Leamington Spa	22	22	18	18.2%	+8
108	Sevenoaks	22	22	14	36.4%	+2
109	Worthing	22	22	17	22.7%	+10
110	Dudley	21	21	16	23.8%	+7
111	Eastbourne	21	21	11	47.6%	-1
112	Gateshead	21	21	17	19.0%	-14
113	Grays	21	21	16	23.8%	-6
114	Guildford	21	21	19	9.5%	+11
115	Waterlooville	21	21	9	57.1%	+3
116	Barnet	20	20	9	55.0%	-2
117	Basingstoke	20	20	19	5.0%	+2
118	Canterbury	20	20	16	20.0%	+6
119	Cheadle	20	20	12	40.0%	+4
120	Chelmsford	20	20	17	15.0%	-21
121	Dundee	20	20	14	30.0%	-1
122	Loughborough	20	20	13	35.0%	-2
123	Sutton	20	20	15	25.0%	-4
124	Newry	19	19	8	57.9%	0
125	Stevenage	19	19	15	21.1%	+9
126	Tamworth	19	19	13	31.6%	+6
127	Barking	18	18	16	11.1%	-16
128	Bath	18	18	16	11.1%	+3
129	Bromley	18	18	12	33.3%	0
130	Burnley	18	18	15	16.7%	-2
131	Chester	18	18	13	27.8%	0
132	Harlow	18	18	14	22.2%	0
133	Hartlepool	18	18	16	11.1%	+7
134	Southend-On-Sea	18	18	11	38.9%	+1
135	Taunton	18	18	10	44.4%	-3
136	Darlington	17	17	10	41.2%	+1
137	Dunstable	17	17	14	17.6%	+1
138	Ely	17	17	12	29.4%	+6
139	Epsom	17	17	12	29.4%	+7
140	Greenford	17	17	15	11.8%	+8
141	Hornchurch	17	17	15	11.8%	-7
142	Leigh-On-Sea	17	17	9	47.1%
143	Rugby	17	17	15	11.8%	+2
144	Smethwick	17	17	15	11.8%	+5
145	Stanmore	17	17	14	17.6%	+4
146	Tunbridge Wells	17	17	9	47.1%	0
147	Twickenham	17	17	14	17.6%
148	Wirral	17	17	14	17.6%	-3
149	Wrexham	17	17	10	41.2%	+5
150	Bromsgrove	16	16	8	50.0%	-1
151	Chorley	16	16	13	18.8%	+1
152	Crawley	16	16	13	18.8%	-2
153	Gillingham	16	16	14	12.5%	+1
154	Kingston upon Thames	16	16	12	25.0%	+1
155	Nelson	16	16	13	18.8%	-1
156	Sittingbourne	16	16	12	25.0%	0
157	Boston	15	15	14	6.7%	0
158	Burton-On-Trent	15	15	14	6.7%	+1
159	Dewsbury	15	15	14	6.7%	+2
160	Gerrards Cross	15	15	9	40.0%	+3
161	Hove	15	15	11	26.7%	-4
162	Maidenhead	15	15	11	26.7%	+1
163	Mitcham	15	15	10	33.3%	+1
164	Newark	15	15	12	20.0%	+6
165	Rochester	15	15	13	13.3%	-5
166	Scunthorpe	15	15	11	26.7%	-3
167	Southport	15	15	14	6.7%	0
168	Sutton Coldfield	15	15	10	33.3%	-5
169	West Drayton	15	15	15	0.0%	+1
170	Banbury	14	14	13	7.1%	+6
171	Bridgend	14	14	13	7.1%	+3
172	Chesterfield	14	14	9	35.7%	-5
173	Chichester	14	14	10	28.6%	0
174	Feltham	14	14	10	28.6%	-4
175	Harrogate	14	14	12	14.3%	0
176	Pinner	14	14	5	64.3%	0
177	Rainham	14	14	10	28.6%	0
178	Redditch	14	14	9	35.7%	+4
179	Tonbridge	14	14	10	28.6%	+3
180	Waltham Cross	14	14	9	35.7%	-3
181	Warwick	14	14	12	14.3%	+2
182	Weston-Super-Mare	14	14	11	21.4%	+2
183	Winchester	14	14	12	14.3%	+7
184	Bishop's Stortford	13	13	12	7.7%	+6
185	Grimsby	13	13	11	15.4%	-5
186	Hemel Hempstead	13	13	10	23.1%	-2
187	Macclesfield	13	13	11	15.4%	+3
188	Morden	13	13	7	46.2%	-6
189	Oldbury	13	13	12	7.7%	-1
190	Stafford	13	13	12	7.7%	+1
191	Swadlincote	13	13	13	0.0%	+8
192	Wallington	13	13	9	30.8%	+2
193	Wimborne	13	13	8	38.5%	+1
194	Wokingham	13	13	10	23.1%	-5
195	Ashton-Under-Lyne	12	12	7	41.7%	-2
196	Batley	12	12	11	8.3%	0
197	Brentwood	12	12	9	25.0%	-6
198	Falkirk	12	12	12	0.0%	+4
199	Great Yarmouth	12	12	8	33.3%	-3
200	Hitchin	12	12	8	33.3%
201	Horsham	12	12	11	8.3%	-4
202	Mansfield	12	12	10	16.7%	-1
203	Margate	12	12	11	8.3%	+4
204	Paisley	12	12	11	8.3%	+4
205	Perth	12	12	10	16.7%	+2
206	Abingdon	11	11	7	36.4%	-4
207	Beckenham	11	11	6	45.5%
208	Bexleyheath	11	11	7	36.4%	-1
209	Brentford	11	11	8	27.3%
210	Carlisle	11	11	5	54.5%	-2
211	Farnham	11	11	10	9.1%	0
212	Isleworth	11	11	10	9.1%	+1
213	Lancaster	11	11	8	27.3%	-3
214	Motherwell	11	11	10	9.1%	0
215	Newbury	11	11	10	9.1%
216	Newcastle	11	11	9	18.2%	-1
217	Northwich	11	11	11	0.0%	+6
218	Ormskirk	11	11	7	36.4%
219	Pontefract	11	11	11	0.0%	-1
220	Rushden	11	11	8	27.3%
221	Salisbury	11	11	8	27.3%	+2
222	Stirling	11	11	9	18.2%	-1
223	Thornton-Cleveleys	11	11	7	36.4%
224	Westcliff-On-Sea	11	11	8	27.3%	0
225	Wickford	11	11	10	9.1%	-3
226	Aldershot	10	10	7	30.0%
227	Andover	10	10	8	20.0%	-1
228	Ayr	10	10	10	0.0%
229	Cannock	10	10	8	20.0%	-4
230	Chippenham	10	10	7	30.0%	+1
231	Craigavon	10	10	10	0.0%	+3
232	Durham	10	10	6	40.0%	-11
233	Eastleigh	10	10	9	10.0%	-2
234	Erith	10	10	8	20.0%	-2
235	Farnborough	10	10	9	10.0%
236	Hatfield	10	10	10	0.0%	0
237	Haywards Heath	10	10	7	30.0%	0
238	Huntingdon	10	10	10	0.0%	+3
239	Keighley	10	10	7	30.0%	-1
240	Kilmarnock	10	10	9	10.0%	+2
241	Kirkcaldy	10	10	8	20.0%	-3
242	Loughton	10	10	5	50.0%	-4
243	Maldon	10	10	6	40.0%
244	North Shields	10	10	7	30.0%
245	Port Talbot	10	10	8	20.0%
246	Ramsgate	10	10	7	30.0%	-1
247	Richmond	10	10	10	0.0%	-3
248	South Shields	10	10	10	0.0%	+3
249	Torquay	10	10	9	10.0%	0
250	Wallasey	10	10	8	20.0%	-1
251	Walton-On-Thames	10	10	8	20.0%
252	Welling	10	10	8	20.0%	+2
253	Woodford Green	10	10	5	50.0%	-2
254	Accrington	9	9	7	22.2%	-9
255	Bracknell	9	9	9	0.0%	+2
256	Chigwell	9	9	7	22.2%	-4
257	Corby	9	9	9	0.0%	+4
258	Crewe	9	9	7	22.2%	-5
259	Cwmbran	9	9	8	11.1%
260	Dungannon	9	9	9	0.0%	+2
261	Egham	9	9	6	33.3%
262	Folkestone	9	9	9	0.0%	-1
263	Gosport	9	9	6	33.3%	-1
264	Hinckley	9	9	8	11.1%	+3
265	King's Lynn	9	9	6	33.3%	-8
266	Melksham	9	9	5	44.4%
267	Northwood	9	9	6	33.3%	+1
268	Redhill	9	9	9	0.0%	0
269	Rickmansworth	9	9	8	11.1%	+3
270	Scarborough	9	9	7	22.2%	0
271	Sidcup	9	9	5	44.4%	-1
272	South Croydon	9	9	5	44.4%	-4
273	Surbiton	9	9	5	44.4%	-6
274	Tilbury	9	9	9	0.0%
275	Tipton	9	9	8	11.1%	-3
276	Truro	9	9	6	33.3%	+1
277	Westerham	9	9	8	11.1%
278	Willenhall	9	9	9	0.0%	+1
279	Witney	9	9	6	33.3%
280	Workington	9	9	6	33.3%
281	Yeovil	9	9	8	11.1%	+3
282	Alton	8	8	8	0.0%
283	Barnstaple	8	8	8	0.0%
284	Barry	8	8	7	12.5%
285	Birkenhead	8	8	8	0.0%	-4
286	Bognor Regis	8	8	8	0.0%
287	Congleton	8	8	7	12.5%	0
288	Dunmow	8	8	5	37.5%
289	Evesham	8	8	8	0.0%
290	Hoddesdon	8	8	7	12.5%	+1
291	Kidderminster	8	8	7	12.5%	-3
292	Leatherhead	8	8	6	25.0%	+1
293	Londonderry	8	8	8	0.0%	+1
294	Pontypridd	8	8	5	37.5%	-3
295	Royston	8	8	5	37.5%	0
296	Runcorn	8	8	8	0.0%	+3
297	Shrewsbury	8	8	7	12.5%	-7
298	Stalybridge	8	8	7	12.5%
299	Wallingford	8	8	7	12.5%
300	Windsor	8	8	7	12.5%	0
301	Bangor	7	7	7	0.0%	+1
302	Barrow in Furness	7	7	5	28.6%	0
303	Benfleet	7	7	7	0.0%	+1
304	Berkhamsted	7	7	5	28.6%
305	Bicester	7	7	6	14.3%	-1
306	Bilston	7	7	5	28.6%	0
307	Bootle	7	7	7	0.0%	+2
308	Braintree	7	7	7	0.0%	-1
309	Camberley	7	7	7	0.0%	-2
310	Chadwell Heath	7	7	7	0.0%
311	Christchurch	7	7	6	14.3%	-8
312	Coulsdon	7	7	6	14.3%
313	Downpatrick	7	7	7	0.0%
314	Droitwich	7	7	6	14.3%	0
315	Fleet	7	7	7	0.0%	-1
316	Grantham	7	7	7	0.0%
317	Halesowen	7	7	6	14.3%	+1
318	Hamilton	7	7	5	28.6%	-5
319	Hereford	7	7	6	14.3%	-2
320	Ilkeston	7	7	5	28.6%
321	Inverness	7	7	7	0.0%	-1
322	Llanelli	7	7	6	14.3%	-1
323	Lutterworth	7	7	5	28.6%	-3
324	Nantwich	7	7	5	28.6%
325	Newton Abbot	7	7	6	14.3%	0
326	Potters Bar	7	7	6	14.3%
327	Rayleigh	7	7	5	28.6%
328	Stourbridge	7	7	7	0.0%	-1
329	Ware	7	7	7	0.0%
330	Airdrie	6	6	5	16.7%	-1
331	Bathgate	6	6	6	0.0%
332	Blyth	6	6	6	0.0%
333	Chessington	6	6	6	0.0%
334	Cleethorpes	6	6	5	16.7%
335	Darwen	6	6	5	16.7%
336	Epping	6	6	6	0.0%
337	Frome	6	6	6	0.0%
338	Glenrothes	6	6	5	16.7%
339	Halstead	6	6	5	16.7%
340	Hampton	6	6	5	16.7%
341	Herne Bay	6	6	5	16.7%	0
342	Holywood	6	6	5	16.7%
343	Hook	6	6	6	0.0%	0
344	Kidlington	6	6	6	0.0%
345	Livingston	6	6	6	0.0%	+1
346	Lymington	6	6	6	0.0%
347	Melton Mowbray	6	6	5	16.7%
348	Neath	6	6	6	0.0%	-2
349	Newcastle-Under-Lyme	6	6	6	0.0%
350	Newmarket	6	6	6	0.0%
351	Penzance	6	6	6	0.0%
352	Rochford	6	6	6	0.0%
353	Rossendale	6	6	6	0.0%
354	Rugeley	6	6	5	16.7%
355	Saffron Walden	6	6	6	0.0%
356	Sale	6	6	6	0.0%
357	Selby	6	6	6	0.0%	-2
358	Skelmersdale	6	6	5	16.7%
359	Southsea	6	6	5	16.7%	0
360	Stanford-Le-Hope	6	6	6	0.0%	+1
361	Stratford-Upon-Avon	6	6	5	16.7%
362	Stroud	6	6	6	0.0%	-2
363	Wednesbury	6	6	5	16.7%	-2
364	Weybridge	6	6	5	16.7%
365	Wishaw	6	6	6	0.0%
366	Worksop	6	6	6	0.0%	-1
367	Alloa	5	5	5	0.0%
368	Bingley	5	5	5	0.0%	0
369	Clacton-On-Sea	5	5	5	0.0%	-2
370	Daventry	5	5	5	0.0%	-1
371	Dorking	5	5	5	0.0%
372	Heanor	5	5	5	0.0%
373	Hertford	5	5	5	0.0%
374	Herts	5	5	5	0.0%
375	Larbert	5	5	5	0.0%
376	Leyland	5	5	5	0.0%	-3
377	Malvern	5	5	5	0.0%
378	Morpeth	5	5	5	0.0%
379	Musselburgh	5	5	5	0.0%	-3
380	New Malden	5	5	5	0.0%	-3
381	Redcar	5	5	5	0.0%	-3
382	St Neots	5	5	5	0.0%
383	Staines-Upon-Thames	5	5	5	0.0%	-3
384	Tiverton	5	5	5	0.0%

Compare

Cambridge and Barking

	Cambridge	Barking
New companies	65	18
Struck out	27	2
Kept	38	16
Noise rate	41.5%	11.1%
Kept, change on the week before	+12	-16
Biggest sector	Software & IT	Consultancy

Use these figures

Cite it, download it, check it

Free to quote with credit. Each week has its own permanent address, and its figures never change once published.

Firstfile New Business Index, week of 12 October 2026, https://firstfile.co.uk/new-business-index/2026-10-12

Download this week's towns (CSV)

How it's counted: companies incorporated Monday to Sunday, by registered post town, as read from Companies House. The week is frozen two days after it ends, so later changes to the register or to our rules don't alter it. Older weeks may not show sectors or websites, because we research companies for 30 days. Towns need at least 5 kept companies in a week to appear. Registered post town is where a company's office is, not always where it trades. See every source we use. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

About the index

What the New Business Index is

Headline company formation figures count every new registration, including shells, holding companies and companies set up in bulk by formation agents. The New Business Index counts them too, then shows what's left once that noise is taken out.

Each week we read every company incorporated on the UK register and apply the same published rules. You get the total, the number struck out and why, and the likely new businesses that remain, for the UK and for each town with enough new companies to count.

Use it to see how many businesses are really starting in your area, compare towns, follow the trend over time, or find a figure for a story or report. It's free, and you don't need an account.

Questions

About the figures

What is the New Business Index?

A free weekly count of new UK companies, for the whole country and each town. It shows how many companies registered, how many our rules struck out as noise, and how many likely new businesses were left.

How often is it updated?

Every week. Each edition covers companies incorporated from Monday to Sunday and normally appears on the following Tuesday.

What counts as noise?

Companies registered at mass-registration addresses, companies with holding-style names, companies with only holding or dormant activity codes, and types that aren't normal trading companies. Being struck out doesn't mean a company is improper, and the rules will catch a few real businesses.

Why does London have so much noise?

Many formation agents and virtual offices have London addresses, so a company based anywhere can be registered there. Registered office is where a company's post goes, not always where it trades.

Do the figures change after they're published?

No. Each week is frozen when it's published, so a figure you quote today will still be on the page later, even if the register or our rules change.

Can I use these figures?

Yes. Quote them with credit to Firstfile and a link to the week you used. Each week has a citation line and a CSV of its town figures.

Does the index name any companies?

No. Every figure is an aggregate count. The only addresses shown are the busiest registered offices.

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