DatasetUpdated monthly
How many online retailers are there in the UK? Companies House counts by region
Every UK company tells Companies House what it does, using SIC codes. Code 47910 means retail sale by mail order or over the internet. We count the live companies that use it, by region and local authority, from Companies House’s own monthly snapshot.
221,993 online retail companies.On the register right now.
Companies House’s snapshot of 1 October 2026 lists 221,993 live companies with SIC 47910 (“retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet”) among their business activities. For 165,117 it is the first activity listed. They make up 3.89% of the 5,704,711 companies on the register. Sole traders and ordinary partnerships do not register with Companies House, so they are not in these counts.
- 221,993live companies list SIC 47910 (snapshot 1 October 2026)
- 165,117list it as their first business activity
- 7,609of them were set up in September 2026, 11.07% of new companies that month
- 40.2%have a registered office in London
01By region
Where online retail companies are registered
67,277 of these companies (30.3%) share a registered office postcode with at least 99 other online retail companies. Shared postcodes on that scale usually belong to company formation agents and virtual offices, many of them in central London. Read this split as where companies are registered, not where their stock or staff are.
492 companies (0.2%) have a postcode the ONS lookup cannot place in a region, or none. Checked .
02New companies
How many online retail companies are set up each month
The snapshot only holds companies that are still live, so the further back a month is, the more of its companies have since closed or been struck off and dropped out. This chart shows the last 18 months; the CSV has every month with that caveat. The thinning shows clearly at the start of this window: 3,051 companies for March 2025 against 5,382 for April 2025.
| Month set up | With SIC 47910 | All new companies | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 7,609 | 68,766 | 11.07% |
| August 2026 | 6,248 | 58,697 | 10.64% |
| July 2026 | 7,050 | 68,744 | 10.26% |
| June 2026 | 5,984 | 63,821 | 9.38% |
| May 2026 | 5,669 | 62,487 | 9.07% |
| April 2026 | 5,884 | 67,360 | 8.74% |
| March 2026 | 5,555 | 73,470 | 7.56% |
| February 2026 | 4,753 | 59,472 | 7.99% |
| January 2026 | 6,650 | 69,926 | 9.51% |
| December 2025 | 4,587 | 49,537 | 9.26% |
| November 2025 | 5,292 | 57,089 | 9.27% |
| October 2025 | 6,540 | 72,130 | 9.07% |
03Local authorities
All 362 local authorities
Live companies with SIC 47910 by the local authority of their registered office. The formation-agent effect above is strongest in a few central London boroughs.
| Local authority | Region | Companies |
|---|---|---|
| Camden | London | 15,842 |
| Islington | London | 10,444 |
| Hackney | London | 7,931 |
| Manchester | North West | 7,040 |
| Westminster | London | 6,089 |
| Newham | London | 5,725 |
| Birmingham | West Midlands | 5,278 |
| Cardiff | Wales | 5,264 |
| Tower Hamlets | London | 4,180 |
| Redbridge | London | 3,911 |
| West Suffolk | East of England | 3,622 |
| Herefordshire, County of | West Midlands | 3,214 |
| Waltham Forest | London | 2,365 |
| Greenwich | London | 2,354 |
| Barking and Dagenham | London | 2,290 |
| Barnet | London | 2,288 |
| Glasgow City | Scotland | 2,226 |
| Hillingdon | London | 2,135 |
| Ealing | London | 2,081 |
| Bradford | Yorkshire and The Humber | 2,019 |
| Brent | London | 1,970 |
| Harrow | London | 1,959 |
| Leeds | Yorkshire and The Humber | 1,881 |
| Kirklees | Yorkshire and The Humber | 1,829 |
| Coventry | West Midlands | 1,803 |
| Leicester | East Midlands | 1,769 |
| Bolton | North West | 1,733 |
| Enfield | London | 1,730 |
| Hounslow | London | 1,705 |
| Belfast | Northern Ireland | 1,628 |
| Croydon | London | 1,536 |
| Wolverhampton | West Midlands | 1,476 |
| Buckinghamshire | South East | 1,429 |
| City of Edinburgh | Scotland | 1,399 |
| Dorset | South West | 1,386 |
| Luton | East of England | 1,306 |
| Milton Keynes | South East | 1,297 |
| Sheffield | Yorkshire and The Humber | 1,227 |
| Liverpool | North West | 1,174 |
| Haringey | London | 1,165 |
| Slough | South East | 1,145 |
| Merton | London | 1,117 |
| Wandsworth | London | 1,083 |
| Oldham | North West | 1,065 |
| Southwark | London | 1,044 |
| Nottingham | East Midlands | 1,044 |
| Salford | North West | 1,002 |
| West Northamptonshire | East Midlands | 999 |
| Rochdale | North West | 986 |
| Sandwell | West Midlands | 984 |
| Trafford | North West | 935 |
| Havering | London | 935 |
| Bristol, City of | South West | 930 |
| City of London | London | 927 |
| Stockport | North West | 925 |
| Lambeth | London | 907 |
| County Durham | North East | 906 |
| Bromley | London | 867 |
| Cheshire East | North West | 816 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | London | 814 |
| Peterborough | East of England | 793 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | North West | 786 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | South West | 778 |
| Walsall | West Midlands | 749 |
| Tameside | North West | 733 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | London | 712 |
| Bury | North West | 707 |
| Preston | North West | 691 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | West Midlands | 689 |
| Lewisham | London | 687 |
| North Yorkshire | Yorkshire and The Humber | 685 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | North East | 684 |
| Dudley | West Midlands | 649 |
| Somerset | South West | 636 |
| Wiltshire | South West | 632 |
| Bexley | London | 621 |
| Medway | South East | 619 |
| Richmond upon Thames | London | 616 |
| Brighton and Hove | South East | 615 |
| Derby | East Midlands | 614 |
| Southampton | South East | 609 |
| Sutton | London | 592 |
| Kingston upon Thames | London | 577 |
| North Northamptonshire | East Midlands | 576 |
| Central Bedfordshire | East of England | 575 |
| Cornwall | South West | 566 |
| Reading | South East | 558 |
| Doncaster | Yorkshire and The Humber | 547 |
| Ards and North Down | Northern Ireland | 536 |
| Wigan | North West | 525 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | North West | 519 |
| Thurrock | East of England | 515 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | South East | 492 |
| Ipswich | East of England | 486 |
| Wakefield | Yorkshire and The Humber | 478 |
| Wirral | North West | 474 |
| Calderdale | Yorkshire and The Humber | 465 |
| Wokingham | South East | 460 |
| Solihull | West Midlands | 457 |
| Southend-on-Sea | East of England | 445 |
| Watford | East of England | 445 |
| Stafford | West Midlands | 443 |
| Epping Forest | East of England | 431 |
| Rotherham | Yorkshire and The Humber | 426 |
| Maidstone | South East | 421 |
| Cambridge | East of England | 417 |
| Basildon | East of England | 416 |
| North Lanarkshire | Scotland | 415 |
| South Lanarkshire | Scotland | 413 |
| South Gloucestershire | South West | 400 |
| Norwich | East of England | 399 |
| Sefton | North West | 388 |
| Warrington | North West | 382 |
| Postcode without an ONS area code | 379 | |
| Colchester | East of England | 378 |
| Bedford | East of England | 376 |
| Dartford | South East | 374 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | Yorkshire and The Humber | 369 |
| Swindon | South West | 369 |
| Chelmsford | East of England | 369 |
| Swansea | Wales | 365 |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of | Yorkshire and The Humber | 365 |
| Hertsmere | East of England | 363 |
| Middlesbrough | North East | 362 |
| Dacorum | East of England | 356 |
| Portsmouth | South East | 343 |
| Shropshire | West Midlands | 335 |
| Elmbridge | South East | 333 |
| Cherwell | South East | 328 |
| Warwick | West Midlands | 328 |
| Sunderland | North East | 327 |
| Charnwood | East Midlands | 327 |
| Spelthorne | South East | 319 |
| Crawley | South East | 318 |
| Newport | Wales | 318 |
| Mid Sussex | South East | 315 |
| Pendle | North West | 313 |
| Wealden | South East | 311 |
| Telford and Wrekin | West Midlands | 309 |
| South Cambridgeshire | East of England | 306 |
| Reigate and Banstead | South East | 303 |
| Welwyn Hatfield | East of England | 303 |
| St Albans | East of England | 303 |
| Barnsley | Yorkshire and The Humber | 300 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | North East | 296 |
| Vale of White Horse | South East | 295 |
| Harlow | East of England | 290 |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | West Midlands | 290 |
| Canterbury | South East | 290 |
| Fife | Scotland | 289 |
| Broxbourne | East of England | 286 |
| Oxford | South East | 284 |
| Aberdeen City | Scotland | 281 |
| North Hertfordshire | East of England | 280 |
| Gloucester | South West | 276 |
| Three Rivers | East of England | 276 |
| Blackpool | North West | 270 |
| Huntingdonshire | East of England | 269 |
| Plymouth | South West | 267 |
| Burnley | North West | 267 |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | West Midlands | 266 |
| Thanet | South East | 260 |
| Woking | South East | 258 |
| Fareham | South East | 258 |
| Basingstoke and Deane | South East | 256 |
| Northumberland | North East | 254 |
| Gateshead | North East | 254 |
| Guildford | South East | 250 |
| East Hampshire | South East | 249 |
| Sevenoaks | South East | 248 |
| East Suffolk | East of England | 247 |
| Gravesham | South East | 246 |
| West Lothian | Scotland | 246 |
| York | Yorkshire and The Humber | 244 |
| Rugby | West Midlands | 242 |
| East Hertfordshire | East of England | 240 |
| East Staffordshire | West Midlands | 239 |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | Wales | 238 |
| Stratford-on-Avon | West Midlands | 238 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | South West | 236 |
| Ashford | South East | 235 |
| Uttlesford | East of England | 233 |
| Dundee City | Scotland | 233 |
| North Somerset | South West | 233 |
| Brentwood | East of England | 233 |
| Flintshire | Wales | 232 |
| Horsham | South East | 231 |
| Cheltenham | South West | 228 |
| West Berkshire | South East | 228 |
| Winchester | South East | 227 |
| North Lincolnshire | Yorkshire and The Humber | 222 |
| Renfrewshire | Scotland | 221 |
| Bracknell Forest | South East | 219 |
| Braintree | East of England | 219 |
| St. Helens | North West | 218 |
| South Oxfordshire | South East | 215 |
| Bromsgrove | West Midlands | 213 |
| Waverley | South East | 213 |
| Cumberland | North West | 212 |
| Blaby | East Midlands | 212 |
| Tunbridge Wells | South East | 210 |
| Epsom and Ewell | South East | 210 |
| Tonbridge and Malling | South East | 210 |
| Oadby and Wigston | East Midlands | 209 |
| Chichester | South East | 207 |
| North Tyneside | North East | 206 |
| Castle Point | East of England | 205 |
| Lincoln | East Midlands | 204 |
| Chorley | North West | 202 |
| Surrey Heath | South East | 200 |
| Darlington | North East | 199 |
| Fylde | North West | 199 |
| Westmorland and Furness | North West | 197 |
| South Kesteven | East Midlands | 195 |
| Swale | South East | 193 |
| Aberdeenshire | Scotland | 192 |
| North East Lincolnshire | Yorkshire and The Humber | 191 |
| Mansfield | East Midlands | 191 |
| Runnymede | South East | 190 |
| New Forest | South East | 190 |
| Rushmoor | South East | 190 |
| Harborough | East Midlands | 189 |
| Rushcliffe | East Midlands | 188 |
| Exeter | South West | 187 |
| Worthing | South East | 185 |
| Gedling | East Midlands | 181 |
| Eastleigh | South East | 180 |
| Arun | South East | 178 |
| Test Valley | South East | 177 |
| Newry, Mourne and Down | Northern Ireland | 175 |
| Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon | Northern Ireland | 175 |
| Lisburn and Castlereagh | Northern Ireland | 173 |
| Wrexham | Wales | 172 |
| West Oxfordshire | South East | 172 |
| Tandridge | South East | 170 |
| Cotswold | South West | 170 |
| South Norfolk | East of England | 170 |
| Hyndburn | North West | 169 |
| Eastbourne | South East | 168 |
| South Ribble | North West | 167 |
| West Lancashire | North West | 167 |
| Breckland | East of England | 165 |
| Wychavon | West Midlands | 164 |
| Knowsley | North West | 164 |
| Stevenage | East of England | 163 |
| Tendring | East of England | 162 |
| Broadland | East of England | 160 |
| East Renfrewshire | Scotland | 158 |
| Vale of Glamorgan | Wales | 157 |
| Worcester | West Midlands | 155 |
| Lichfield | West Midlands | 153 |
| Torbay | South West | 153 |
| Havant | South East | 152 |
| Rochford | East of England | 152 |
| Highland | Scotland | 152 |
| Wyre | North West | 150 |
| King's Lynn and West Norfolk | East of England | 149 |
| Carmarthenshire | Wales | 149 |
| Rossendale | North West | 149 |
| Newark and Sherwood | East Midlands | 149 |
| Bassetlaw | East Midlands | 147 |
| Ashfield | East Midlands | 147 |
| Amber Valley | East Midlands | 146 |
| Redditch | West Midlands | 144 |
| East Devon | South West | 144 |
| North West Leicestershire | East Midlands | 143 |
| Broxtowe | East Midlands | 143 |
| Folkestone and Hythe | South East | 139 |
| Mole Valley | South East | 139 |
| Erewash | East Midlands | 138 |
| Hinckley and Bosworth | East Midlands | 138 |
| Hastings | South East | 136 |
| Bridgend | Wales | 136 |
| East Lindsey | East Midlands | 136 |
| South Tyneside | North East | 135 |
| West Lindsey | East Midlands | 135 |
| North Kesteven | East Midlands | 134 |
| Caerphilly | Wales | 134 |
| Falkirk | Scotland | 133 |
| Stroud | South West | 133 |
| Rother | South East | 131 |
| Cannock Chase | West Midlands | 131 |
| Tewkesbury | South West | 131 |
| Halton | North West | 130 |
| Teignbridge | South West | 130 |
| Dover | South East | 130 |
| Hart | South East | 129 |
| Lewes | South East | 129 |
| Perth and Kinross | Scotland | 127 |
| Mid Suffolk | East of England | 126 |
| Mid and East Antrim | Northern Ireland | 125 |
| Wyre Forest | West Midlands | 124 |
| South Staffordshire | West Midlands | 124 |
| Chesterfield | East Midlands | 123 |
| South Hams | South West | 122 |
| North Devon | South West | 121 |
| Lancaster | North West | 121 |
| South Holland | East Midlands | 121 |
| South Derbyshire | East Midlands | 119 |
| Derry City and Strabane | Northern Ireland | 118 |
| Maldon | East of England | 117 |
| Ribble Valley | North West | 117 |
| North East Derbyshire | East Midlands | 115 |
| Babergh | East of England | 115 |
| East Cambridgeshire | East of England | 114 |
| Powys | Wales | 114 |
| Isle of Wight | South East | 112 |
| Antrim and Newtownabbey | Northern Ireland | 112 |
| Boston | East Midlands | 110 |
| Neath Port Talbot | Wales | 106 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | North East | 105 |
| Mid Ulster | Northern Ireland | 105 |
| Fenland | East of England | 105 |
| East Dunbartonshire | Scotland | 103 |
| Denbighshire | Wales | 97 |
| High Peak | East Midlands | 97 |
| Pembrokeshire | Wales | 96 |
| Stirling | Scotland | 96 |
| North Ayrshire | Scotland | 96 |
| Tamworth | West Midlands | 96 |
| Conwy | Wales | 95 |
| Monmouthshire | Wales | 94 |
| Mid Devon | South West | 93 |
| Causeway Coast and Glens | Northern Ireland | 92 |
| Midlothian | Scotland | 90 |
| North Warwickshire | West Midlands | 90 |
| Adur | South East | 88 |
| Malvern Hills | West Midlands | 86 |
| Great Yarmouth | East of England | 85 |
| North Norfolk | East of England | 85 |
| Forest of Dean | South West | 83 |
| South Ayrshire | Scotland | 80 |
| Bolsover | East Midlands | 80 |
| Gwynedd | Wales | 79 |
| Scottish Borders | Scotland | 78 |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | West Midlands | 77 |
| East Ayrshire | Scotland | 75 |
| Torfaen | Wales | 74 |
| Melton | East Midlands | 74 |
| Derbyshire Dales | East Midlands | 74 |
| Hartlepool | North East | 73 |
| East Lothian | Scotland | 71 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | Scotland | 69 |
| West Devon | South West | 68 |
| Rutland | East Midlands | 67 |
| West Dunbartonshire | Scotland | 66 |
| Angus | Scotland | 66 |
| Gosport | South East | 64 |
| Ceredigion | Wales | 63 |
| Fermanagh and Omagh | Northern Ireland | 61 |
| Torridge | South West | 54 |
| Clackmannanshire | Scotland | 51 |
| Isle of Anglesey | Wales | 45 |
| Argyll and Bute | Scotland | 44 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | Wales | 42 |
| Moray | Scotland | 37 |
| Inverclyde | Scotland | 37 |
| Blaenau Gwent | Wales | 29 |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | Scotland | 12 |
| Shetland Islands | Scotland | 10 |
| Orkney Islands | Scotland | 7 |
| Isles of Scilly | South West | 2 |
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04Method
How we collect this
Companies House publishes a free snapshot of every live company on the register once a month, compiled to the end of the previous month. Our server downloads it when a new one appears (this page uses the file dated 1 October 2026), reads each company’s up to four SIC codes, status, incorporation date and registered office postcode, and keeps only the counts. No company names, numbers or addresses are stored or published, and the snapshot file is deleted after counting.
Regions and local authorities come from the registered office postcode, matched against the ONS National Statistics Postcode Lookup (National Statistics Postcode Lookup (August 2026)). 99.9% of postcodes matched.
As a cross-check, on 5 October 2026 Companies House’s own advanced search returned 221,573 active companies with SIC 47910. Our 1 October 2026 count of companies with the status “Active” or “Active - Proposal to Strike off” is 220,654; the gap fits the new companies registered in the days between. Last checked .
Source: Companies House Free Company Data Product. Postcode lookup: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0; contains OS data, Royal Mail data and GeoPlace data, Crown copyright and database right.
FAQQuick answers
Questions
How many online businesses are there in the UK?
Companies House lists 221,993 live companies with SIC 47910, retail by mail order or internet (1 October 2026 snapshot). That counts companies only. Sole traders, ordinary partnerships and sellers who never formed a company are not on the register, so the true number of people selling online is higher.
What is SIC code 47910?
47910 is the UK SIC 2007 code for “Retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet”. Companies choose it themselves when they register and confirm it each year; a company can list up to four codes.
Where are most UK online retailers registered?
London, with 40.2% of companies listing SIC 47910 (89,199). Many use formation-agent or virtual-office addresses there, so this reflects where companies are registered more than where they trade.
How many new online retail companies are set up each month?
7,609 companies incorporated in September 2026 list SIC 47910, 11.07% of all companies set up that month that are still live.
How often is this updated?
Monthly. Companies House publishes a new snapshot within five working days of each month end, and our server counts it the day it appears.
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