Which UK sectors have the most new companies in 2026?

Retail has the most newly formed companies of the sectors Lockley tracks: 113,971 formed in the last twelve months, against 503,986 active. Property letting and management (68,218) and software and IT services (67,936) follow. Adjusted for the size of each sector, commercial cleaning and marketing and advertising form new companies fastest, at 24.3% and 22.9% of their active count. These figures come from Lockley's sector pages as at October 2026.

The ten biggest sectors by new companies

The table ranks sectors by companies formed in the last twelve months. The last column is our own calculation: formed divided by active companies. It is an indicator of how quickly a sector is adding companies, not a survival or growth rate, and the sector definitions are Lockley's groupings of SIC codes.

Sectors ranked by companies formed in the last twelve months

Fast-forming sectors, relative to size

Size alone favours the big sectors. Ratios show where formation is high for the sector's scale. Commercial cleaning is the standout at 10,867 formed against 44,634 active. Marketing and advertising has 15,578 formed against 67,936. At the other end, insurance and brokers formed 1,066 against 15,005, about 7.1%.

Selected sectors by formation relative to size

What this means for a seller

A sector with many new companies has many buyers who have no supplier yet, but also many that will never trade. Formation counts are the top of the funnel. A useful next filter is whether the company is doing anything: hiring, taking premises, registering a charge or winning a contract. Of the 5,567,699 active UK companies in Lockley's index, 606,470 have a website on record, which is a rough sign of how many are visibly trading.

For example, Lockley recorded 1,155 roles at manager level and above across 682 UK companies in September 2026 and 318 first-of-function roles across 285 companies. Those numbers are far smaller than formation counts, which is the point: signals narrow the list.

Method and caveats

Each number is quoted from the relevant Lockley sector page. The share column divides the formed count by the active count for the same sector, rounded to one decimal place. A high share can mean real growth, but it can also reflect a sector where people routinely set up single-purpose companies, such as retail or property vehicles. A low share can mean a mature, stable sector with fewer start-ups, as insurance and brokers may be, or one where entry needs regulatory approval.

Treat the table as a map for deciding where to look first, and then use records about individual companies to decide whom to call. Sector counts say where the haystack is large; they do not say where the needles are.

How to read the tables

The first table is about volume. If you sell something that every business needs, such as insurance, payroll or cleaning, the biggest sectors give you the most new buyers in absolute terms, but also the most competition for their attention. The second table is about concentration. If you specialise, a sector that forms companies quickly relative to its size may be a better hunting ground than a larger one that is mostly established firms.

The sector pages count companies that Companies House lists as active, grouped by Lockley from SIC codes, so one company can sit in only the sector it was assigned. Formation counts cover the twelve months to the date of each page, and the pages are refreshed, so figures will move. For a point-in-time comparison, quote the date as well as the number. We have not adjusted for companies that later dissolve or for companies registered to hold assets rather than trade.

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