New company registrations, week of 2 Nov 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.
new companies registered in the UK
+330 (+2.3%) on the week before
struck out as noise (5,337 companies)
real, new businesses left
+307 (+3.4%) on the week before
of those researched have no website we could find
Firstfile count of the Companies House register: incorporations 2–8 Nov 2026, by registered post town. Frozen when published. Aggregate counts only.
The week in short
In the week of 2 November 2026, 14,742 new companies registered in the UK, 2.3% more than the week before. Firstfile's rules struck out 36.2% as noise, leaving 9,405 likely new businesses.
London had the most new companies, with 3,981, and 66.3% of them were struck out. Outside London, Manchester came first with 408. Birmingham saw the biggest rise in kept companies, up 40 on the week before. The busiest registered office was 71–75 Shelton Street, WC2H, which took 666 new companies. The most common sector among the kept companies was consultancy.
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.
Busiest postcode districts
Where the kept companies are based.
What they actually do
From AI models reading each kept company and its website.
Leads for each profession
Kept companies scoring 60 or more. Scores are rules, not AI.
Cleanest this week
359 towns with at least 5 kept companies this week. Click a town to see its figures.
| # | Town | Cleanest | New | Kept | Noise | Kept, on last week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telford | 0.0% | 23 | 23 | 0.0% | +6 |
| 2 | Essex | 4.5% | 22 | 21 | 4.5% | +8 |
| 3 | Hartlepool | 4.5% | 22 | 21 | 4.5% | +7 |
| 4 | Thornton Heath | 4.5% | 22 | 21 | 4.5% | +9 |
| 5 | Barnsley | 4.8% | 21 | 20 | 4.8% | +8 |
| 6 | Dewsbury | 4.8% | 21 | 20 | 4.8% | +11 |
| 7 | Woking | 5.0% | 20 | 19 | 5.0% | +2 |
| 8 | Hull | 5.7% | 35 | 33 | 5.7% | -7 |
| 9 | Middlesbrough | 6.0% | 50 | 47 | 6.0% | +21 |
| 10 | Hounslow | 6.5% | 31 | 29 | 6.5% | 0 |
| 11 | Gloucester | 7.7% | 26 | 24 | 7.7% | +7 |
| 12 | Reading | 8.2% | 61 | 56 | 8.2% | -1 |
| 13 | Lincoln | 8.3% | 24 | 22 | 8.3% | +6 |
| 14 | Dagenham | 8.7% | 46 | 42 | 8.7% | +8 |
| 15 | Bournemouth | 9.7% | 31 | 28 | 9.7% | 0 |
The busiest registered offices
There's nothing wrong with these addresses: most are formation agents, virtual offices and accountants. But post sent there reaches a mailroom, not a founder.
| Registered office | New that week | Companies at address |
|---|---|---|
| 71–75 Shelton Street, WC2H | 666 | 83,329 |
| 128 City Road, EC1V | 354 | 40,506 |
| 66 Paul Street, EC2A | 321 | 13,183 |
| 20 Wenlock Road, N1 | 168 | 19,391 |
| 167–169 Great Portland Street, W1W | 109 | 29,244 |
| 82a James Carter Road, IP28 | 85 | 7,746 |
| 124 City Road, EC1V | 63 | 17,815 |
| 124–128 City Road, EC1V | 62 | 5,155 |
| 50 Lothian Road, EH3 | 42 | 6,533 |
| Dept 2, 43 Owston Road, DN6 | 35 | 638 |
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 2 November 2026, https://firstfile.co.uk/new-business-index/2026-11-02
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.
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.
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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