New Business Index: weekly new company registrations

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 26 Oct–1 Nov 2026 Later →

Loughton had too few new companies that week to show. These are the UK's figures.

14,412

new companies registered in the UK
-652 (-4.3%) on the week before

36.9%

struck out as noise (5,314 companies)

9,098

real, new businesses left
-475 (-5.0%) on the week before

80.9%

of those researched have no website we could find

Firstfile count of the Companies House register: incorporations 26 Oct–1 Nov 2026, by registered post town. Frozen when published. Aggregate counts only.

The week in short

In the week of 26 October 2026, 14,412 new companies registered in the UK, 4.3% fewer than the week before. Firstfile's rules struck out 36.9% as noise, leaving 9,098 likely new businesses.

London had the most new companies, with 3,974, and 65.4% of them were struck out. Outside London, Manchester came first with 392. Bolton saw the biggest rise in kept companies, up 20 on the week before. The busiest registered office was 71–75 Shelton Street, WC2H, which took 606 new companies. The most common sector among the kept companies was consultancy.

Week by week

New companies in the UK

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 address4,654

Holding-style company name836

Holding or dormant activity code787

Other (company type, PO box, overseas)60

Where

Busiest postcode districts

Where the kept companies are based.

E1126

E692

M4062

WV649

IG136

CR032

NW1032

BL331

SW1629

SL127

Sectors

What they actually do

From AI models reading each kept company and its website.

Consultancy1,122

Online retail976

Construction & trades899

Software & IT891

Food & drink venue789

Property letting639

Shop / retail619

Haulage & courier530

Health & care423

Motor trade329

Hair, beauty & wellbeing308

Cleaning & grounds229

Security services51

Professions

Leads for each profession

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

Accountants5,028

Insurance brokers6,275

Web designers4,742

Card payments & tills2,455

Payroll & HR3,995

Van & fleet leasing2,030

Leaderboard

Most new companies this week

371 towns with at least 5 kept companies this week. Click a town to see its figures.

Most new companies Most kept Biggest rise Noisiest Cleanest

#	Town	Most new companies	New	Kept	Noise	Kept, on last week
1	London	3,974	3,974	1,374	65.4%	-29
2	Manchester	392	392	281	28.3%	-48
3	Birmingham	317	317	241	24.0%	-32
4	Glasgow	183	183	133	27.3%	-18
5	Liverpool	157	157	108	31.2%	-1
6	Bristol	131	131	110	16.0%	+5
7	Leeds	130	130	94	27.7%	+1
8	Nottingham	114	114	91	20.2%	-13
9	Mildenhall	113	113	14	87.6%	+9
10	Bolton	112	112	83	25.9%	+20
11	Leicester	109	109	84	22.9%	-17
12	Wolverhampton	102	102	93	8.8%	-18
13	Edinburgh	100	100	56	44.0%	+8
14	Bradford	91	91	77	15.4%	-3
15	Ilford	91	91	81	11.0%	-1
16	Coventry	87	87	72	17.2%	+14
17	Doncaster	86	86	46	46.5%	+16
18	Sheffield	86	86	69	19.8%	-9
19	Bury St. Edmunds	83	83	9	89.2%	+3
20	Milton Keynes	79	79	63	20.3%	+2
21	Cardiff	73	73	50	31.5%	-6
22	Harrow	72	72	49	31.9%	-13
23	Harrogate	71	71	13	81.7%	+2
24	Norwich	70	70	53	24.3%	+12
25	Newcastle upon Tyne	69	69	58	15.9%	0
26	Slough	66	66	59	10.6%	-6
27	Northampton	65	65	49	24.6%	-1
28	Preston	65	65	53	18.5%	+13
29	Luton	62	62	51	17.7%	-18
30	Stockport	62	62	45	27.4%	+18
31	Southampton	61	61	54	11.5%	+6
32	Reading	59	59	57	3.4%	+7
33	Peterborough	57	57	40	29.8%	+1
34	Stoke-On-Trent	56	56	44	21.4%	-11
35	Cambridge	52	52	33	36.5%	+6
36	Huddersfield	51	51	38	25.5%	+2
37	Colchester	47	47	41	12.8%	+3
38	Ipswich	47	47	30	36.2%	+7
39	Belfast	45	45	34	24.4%	-1
40	Croydon	45	45	31	31.1%	-2
41	Derby	45	45	34	24.4%	-15
42	Swindon	45	45	36	20.0%	+5
43	Swansea	44	44	34	22.7%	+10
44	Warrington	44	44	29	34.1%	+7
45	Hounslow	42	42	29	31.0%	-3
46	Hull	42	42	40	4.8%	0
47	Romford	42	42	37	11.9%	-9
48	Ruislip,	42	42	12	71.4%
49	Walsall	42	42	34	19.0%	-6
50	Kington	41	41	10	75.6%	-9
51	Wigan	39	39	25	35.9%	+4
52	Blackburn	38	38	31	18.4%	-2
53	Dagenham	37	37	34	8.1%	-10
54	Ashford	35	35	27	22.9%	+4
55	Enfield	35	35	27	22.9%	-6
56	Portsmouth	35	35	23	34.3%	+5
57	Wembley	35	35	28	20.0%	+4
58	Bournemouth	34	34	28	17.6%	-1
59	Brighton	34	34	25	26.5%	-5
60	Middlesbrough	33	33	26	21.2%	-13
61	Oldham	33	33	28	15.2%	-12
62	Aylesbury	32	32	29	9.4%	+5
63	Bedford	32	32	24	25.0%	-10
64	Bridgend	32	32	11	65.6%	-7
65	Fareham	32	32	13	59.4%	+5
66	Maidstone	32	32	24	25.0%	+4
67	Poole	32	32	15	53.1%	-10
68	Newport	31	31	22	29.0%	-10
69	Salford	31	31	22	29.0%	-5
70	Southall	31	31	25	19.4%	-2
71	Wakefield	31	31	25	19.4%	+9
72	Hayes	30	30	27	10.0%	-10
73	Plymouth	30	30	15	50.0%	-8
74	Rochdale	30	30	25	16.7%	+4
75	Rotherham	30	30	22	26.7%	+1
76	Aberdeen	28	28	19	32.1%	-15
77	Barking	28	28	19	32.1%	-18
78	Chesterfield	27	27	23	14.8%	+15
79	Gateshead	27	27	22	18.5%	+3
80	Uxbridge	27	27	24	11.1%	+16
81	Watford	27	27	22	18.5%	-11
82	Gravesend	26	26	24	7.7%	+4
83	Exeter	25	25	17	32.0%	+1
84	Wirral	25	25	18	28.0%	-4
85	Altrincham	24	24	11	54.2%	-4
86	Spalding	24	24	13	45.8%	-2
87	York	24	24	18	25.0%	-8
88	Chelmsford	23	23	16	30.4%	-11
89	Dartford	23	23	13	43.5%	-11
90	Dundee	23	23	19	17.4%	-9
91	Bury	22	22	16	27.3%	+6
92	Chester	22	22	16	27.3%	+1
93	Edgware	22	22	14	36.4%	-6
94	Gillingham	22	22	19	13.6%	+9
95	Gloucester	22	22	17	22.7%	-5
96	Oxford	22	22	20	9.1%	-14
97	Solihull	22	22	17	22.7%	-4
98	Sutton	22	22	18	18.2%	+2
99	Telford	22	22	17	22.7%	0
100	Basildon	21	21	15	28.6%	+5
101	Cheadle	21	21	18	14.3%	+11
102	Smethwick	21	21	16	23.8%	+2
103	Sunderland	21	21	19	9.5%	-7
104	Worcester	21	21	15	28.6%	-4
105	Mitcham	20	20	18	10.0%	+5
106	Rugby	20	20	15	25.0%	+5
107	St. Albans	20	20	13	35.0%	-3
108	Stanmore	20	20	11	45.0%	+1
109	Barnet	19	19	9	52.6%	-13
110	Burton-On-Trent	19	19	16	15.8%	+4
111	Dudley	19	19	12	36.8%	-4
112	Epsom	19	19	16	15.8%	+1
113	Feltham	19	19	15	21.1%	0
114	Guildford	19	19	15	21.1%	-4
115	Rochester	19	19	16	15.8%	+2
116	Woking	19	19	17	10.5%	+5
117	Worthing	19	19	7	63.2%
118	Ashton-Under-Lyne	18	18	15	16.7%	+7
119	Basingstoke	18	18	18	0.0%	+8
120	Bath	18	18	14	22.2%	+4
121	Canterbury	18	18	17	5.6%	+1
122	Cheltenham	18	18	15	16.7%	0
123	Eastbourne	18	18	8	55.6%	-3
124	Falkirk	18	18	13	27.8%
125	Maidenhead	18	18	16	11.1%	0
126	Market Harborough	18	18	11	38.9%
127	Newton Abbot	18	18	16	11.1%	+4
128	Paisley	18	18	13	27.8%	0
129	Stockton-On-Tees	18	18	16	11.1%	+3
130	Sutton Coldfield	18	18	10	44.4%	-4
131	Blackpool	17	17	9	47.1%	-6
132	Chatham	17	17	10	41.2%	-1
133	Crawley	17	17	11	35.3%	-6
134	Halifax	17	17	12	29.4%	-4
135	Lincoln	17	17	16	5.9%	-14
136	Londonderry	17	17	14	17.6%	+6
137	Nuneaton	17	17	12	29.4%	-10
138	Redditch	17	17	13	23.5%	+4
139	Scunthorpe	17	17	11	35.3%	-6
140	Sittingbourne	17	17	14	17.6%	+7
141	Weston-Super-Mare	17	17	14	17.6%	+6
142	Batley	16	16	15	6.2%	+5
143	Beckenham	16	16	8	50.0%	0
144	Hemel Hempstead	16	16	13	18.8%	+1
145	Hornchurch	16	16	8	50.0%	+2
146	Kilmarnock	16	16	12	25.0%	+6
147	Southend-On-Sea	16	16	15	6.2%	+8
148	Wokingham	16	16	12	25.0%	+5
149	Barnsley	15	15	12	20.0%	-3
150	Dunstable	15	15	12	20.0%	+2
151	Durham	15	15	12	20.0%	-2
152	Grays	15	15	15	0.0%	-9
153	High Wycombe	15	15	12	20.0%	-4
154	Orpington	15	15	8	46.7%	-1
155	Ramsgate	15	15	9	40.0%	0
156	Stafford	15	15	13	13.3%	+7
157	Tonbridge	15	15	13	13.3%	+4
158	Waltham Cross	15	15	8	46.7%	-1
159	Waterlooville	15	15	10	33.3%	+4
160	Crewe	14	14	8	42.9%	-8
161	Essex	14	14	13	7.1%	+3
162	Grimsby	14	14	13	7.1%	0
163	Hartlepool	14	14	14	0.0%	+1
164	Kingston upon Thames	14	14	11	21.4%	-1
165	Stevenage	14	14	8	42.9%	+1
166	Tamworth	14	14	12	14.3%	+3
167	Wellingborough	14	14	12	14.3%	-1
168	Winchester	14	14	9	35.7%	0
169	Bromley	13	13	13	0.0%	-10
170	Camberley	13	13	9	30.8%	-2
171	Hitchin	13	13	6	53.8%	-2
172	Horsham	13	13	9	30.8%	-2
173	Kettering	13	13	12	7.7%	-3
174	Leighton Buzzard	13	13	11	15.4%	+1
175	Loughborough	13	13	12	7.7%	-1
176	Northolt	13	13	12	7.7%	+2
177	Pinner	13	13	7	46.2%	-3
178	Shrewsbury	13	13	9	30.8%	-3
179	Southport	13	13	11	15.4%	-2
180	Staines-Upon-Thames	13	13	13	0.0%	+6
181	Banbury	12	12	11	8.3%	+1
182	Beverley	12	12	9	25.0%
183	Bracknell	12	12	12	0.0%	+6
184	Burnley	12	12	11	8.3%	-10
185	Cannock	12	12	10	16.7%	+5
186	Carlisle	12	12	8	33.3%	-2
187	Chichester	12	12	8	33.3%	0
188	Dewsbury	12	12	9	25.0%	-7
189	Farnham	12	12	10	16.7%	+2
190	Hatfield	12	12	10	16.7%	+2
191	Leigh	12	12	12	0.0%	+5
192	Oldbury	12	12	10	16.7%	-3
193	Salisbury	12	12	11	8.3%
194	Southsea	12	12	10	16.7%	+5
195	St. Helens	12	12	10	16.7%	-5
196	Stourbridge	12	12	7	41.7%	-8
197	Thornton Heath	12	12	12	0.0%	+2
198	Twickenham	12	12	12	0.0%	+1
199	West Drayton	12	12	11	8.3%	-6
200	Wilmslow	12	12	10	16.7%	+4
201	Bathgate	11	11	11	0.0%	+3
202	Boston	11	11	10	9.1%	+1
203	Brentford	11	11	9	18.2%	+2
204	Craigavon	11	11	11	0.0%	+1
205	Harlow	11	11	8	27.3%	-6
206	Hereford	11	11	9	18.2%	-2
207	Hinckley	11	11	9	18.2%	+4
208	Hove	11	11	8	27.3%	-3
209	Huntingdon	11	11	6	45.5%	-7
210	Mansfield	11	11	10	9.1%	-2
211	Morden	11	11	8	27.3%	+3
212	Perth	11	11	9	18.2%
213	Rickmansworth	11	11	8	27.3%	-4
214	Sevenoaks	11	11	8	27.3%	-10
215	South Shields	11	11	10	9.1%	+1
216	Stirling	11	11	8	27.3%
217	Taunton	11	11	7	36.4%	-5
218	Tunbridge Wells	11	11	9	18.2%	-2
219	Waltham Abbey	11	11	5	54.5%	-3
220	Airdrie	10	10	9	10.0%
221	Aldershot	10	10	8	20.0%	-6
222	Brentwood	10	10	9	10.0%	-2
223	Chippenham	10	10	5	50.0%	-5
224	Corby	10	10	10	0.0%	-3
225	Dunfermline	10	10	8	20.0%	-4
226	Ely	10	10	9	10.0%	+4
227	Godalming	10	10	8	20.0%
228	Inverness	10	10	8	20.0%	-2
229	Isleworth	10	10	9	10.0%	0
230	Penarth	10	10	10	0.0%	+5
231	Surbiton	10	10	8	20.0%	0
232	Torquay	10	10	9	10.0%
233	Willenhall	10	10	10	0.0%	+2
234	Witney	10	10	5	50.0%	-3
235	Abingdon	9	9	7	22.2%	-2
236	Bilston	9	9	7	22.2%	0
237	Birkenhead	9	9	9	0.0%	+1
238	Bishop's Stortford	9	9	8	11.1%	+1
239	Bootle	9	9	7	22.2%	0
240	Bridgwater	9	9	5	44.4%	-4
241	Erith	9	9	7	22.2%	-1
242	Farnborough	9	9	9	0.0%	+3
243	Greenford	9	9	7	22.2%	-5
244	Hamilton	9	9	8	11.1%	-1
245	Hyde	9	9	7	22.2%	-1
246	King's Lynn	9	9	6	33.3%	-3
247	Kirkcaldy	9	9	6	33.3%
248	Newbury	9	9	7	22.2%	+1
249	Newcastle	9	9	7	22.2%	-5
250	Newry	9	9	9	0.0%	+2
251	Royston	9	9	6	33.3%
252	Scarborough	9	9	7	22.2%	+1
253	Shipley	9	9	8	11.1%	+1
254	Skipton	9	9	8	11.1%
255	Uckfield	9	9	9	0.0%
256	West Bromwich	9	9	8	11.1%	-7
257	Widnes	9	9	9	0.0%	-2
258	Wisbech	9	9	9	0.0%
259	Wrexham	9	9	8	11.1%	-6
260	Billingham	8	8	7	12.5%
261	Burgess Hill	8	8	6	25.0%
262	Chertsey	8	8	6	25.0%
263	Clitheroe	8	8	5	37.5%	-3
264	Darwen	8	8	5	37.5%
265	Daventry	8	8	8	0.0%	-1
266	Fleet	8	8	7	12.5%	-1
267	Gosport	8	8	7	12.5%	-2
268	Great Yarmouth	8	8	6	25.0%	-1
269	Houghton Le Spring	8	8	7	12.5%
270	Ilkeston	8	8	5	37.5%
271	Keighley	8	8	7	12.5%	0
272	Kidderminster	8	8	8	0.0%	+2
273	Lancaster	8	8	8	0.0%	+3
274	Leamington Spa	8	8	5	37.5%	-3
275	Neath	8	8	6	25.0%	0
276	Newark	8	8	8	0.0%	-7
277	Northwich	8	8	6	25.0%	0
278	Rainham	8	8	6	25.0%	-3
279	Runcorn	8	8	8	0.0%	+1
280	South Croydon	8	8	6	25.0%	+1
281	Tipton	8	8	8	0.0%	0
282	Wallasey	8	8	7	12.5%	+1
283	Wallington	8	8	6	25.0%	-2
284	Wednesbury	8	8	5	37.5%
285	Andover	7	7	7	0.0%	-3
286	Barnstaple	7	7	6	14.3%
287	Barry	7	7	6	14.3%
288	Bedworth	7	7	6	14.3%
289	Bicester	7	7	7	0.0%	0
290	Billericay	7	7	5	28.6%	0
291	Bognor Regis	7	7	7	0.0%
292	Broadstairs	7	7	5	28.6%	-2
293	Chadwell Heath	7	7	7	0.0%
294	Coatbridge	7	7	6	14.3%	-1
295	Darlington	7	7	7	0.0%	-6
296	Dumfries	7	7	5	28.6%
297	Evesham	7	7	7	0.0%	-3
298	Harpenden	7	7	5	28.6%
299	Heywood	7	7	5	28.6%	-2
300	Hoddesdon	7	7	5	28.6%	0
301	Holywood	7	7	6	14.3%
302	Livingston	7	7	7	0.0%	-1
303	Macclesfield	7	7	5	28.6%	-1
304	Margate	7	7	5	28.6%
305	Mexborough	7	7	7	0.0%
306	Pontypool	7	7	7	0.0%
307	St. Leonards-On-Sea	7	7	5	28.6%	-1
308	Stanley	7	7	6	14.3%
309	Stroud	7	7	5	28.6%	-2
310	Upminster	7	7	7	0.0%	+1
311	Welling	7	7	5	28.6%	0
312	Westerham	7	7	5	28.6%
313	Wishaw	7	7	7	0.0%
314	Witham	7	7	6	14.3%
315	Abertillery	6	6	6	0.0%
316	Accrington	6	6	5	16.7%	-1
317	Amersham	6	6	5	16.7%
318	Bishop Auckland	6	6	6	0.0%
319	Buckhurst Hill	6	6	5	16.7%
320	Carshalton	6	6	6	0.0%	0
321	Chigwell	6	6	6	0.0%	+1
322	Cleethorpes	6	6	5	16.7%	-1
323	Congleton	6	6	5	16.7%	-1
324	Dereham	6	6	5	16.7%
325	Dunmow	6	6	6	0.0%
326	East Grinstead	6	6	5	16.7%
327	Grantham	6	6	6	0.0%	0
328	Johnstone	6	6	6	0.0%
329	Kendal	6	6	5	16.7%	-3
330	Lichfield	6	6	5	16.7%	0
331	Lisburn	6	6	5	16.7%	-7
332	Littlehampton	6	6	6	0.0%	+1
333	Nantwich	6	6	6	0.0%	-1
334	Nelson	6	6	6	0.0%	-10
335	Pontefract	6	6	6	0.0%	-5
336	Reigate	6	6	6	0.0%
337	Richmond	6	6	5	16.7%	-4
338	Rushden	6	6	5	16.7%	-1
339	Sale	6	6	5	16.7%	-5
340	Tewkesbury	6	6	5	16.7%
341	Tilbury	6	6	6	0.0%
342	Truro	6	6	6	0.0%
343	Walton-On-Thames	6	6	6	0.0%	-3
344	Washington	6	6	5	16.7%	-1
345	Welwyn Garden City	6	6	5	16.7%
346	Wetherby	6	6	5	16.7%
347	Windsor	6	6	5	16.7%	0
348	Armagh	5	5	5	0.0%
349	Ascot	5	5	5	0.0%
350	Chessington	5	5	5	0.0%
351	Chester Le Street	5	5	5	0.0%
352	Coleraine	5	5	5	0.0%
353	Consett	5	5	5	0.0%
354	Dover	5	5	5	0.0%
355	Epping	5	5	5	0.0%
356	Greenhithe	5	5	5	0.0%
357	Havant	5	5	5	0.0%
358	Hertford	5	5	5	0.0%
359	Inverurie	5	5	5	0.0%	0
360	Leek	5	5	5	0.0%
361	Lymm	5	5	5	0.0%
362	Melton Mowbray	5	5	5	0.0%
363	Morecambe	5	5	5	0.0%	-1
364	Newtownabbey	5	5	5	0.0%
365	Oakham	5	5	5	0.0%
366	Potters Bar	5	5	5	0.0%	-3
367	Sidcup	5	5	5	0.0%	-2
368	Stratford-Upon-Avon	5	5	5	0.0%	0
369	Ware	5	5	5	0.0%
370	Woodbridge	5	5	5	0.0%
371	Workington	5	5	5	0.0%

Addresses

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	606	82,584
66 Paul Street, EC2A	328	11,694
128 City Road, EC1V	306	39,926
20 Wenlock Road, N1	181	19,233
167–169 Great Portland Street, W1W	104	27,865
82a James Carter Road, IP28	81	7,330
1 Bedford Row, WC1R	67	249
124 City Road, EC1V	63	17,504
9 Princes Square, HG1	57	1,677
124–128 City Road, EC1V	55	5,052

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 26 October 2026, https://firstfile.co.uk/new-business-index/2026-10-26

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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