1,571 new companies in North West this week
1,571 new private limited companies and LLPs were incorporated in North West in the 7 days 13 Oct 2026 to 19 Oct 2026, 2.8% down on the previous week (1,617), according to the FreshlySpotted New Business Index, based on Companies House data.
The last 8 weeks
See the numbers as a table
| This week | Previous week | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 1,571 | 1,617 | -2.8% (-46) |
| Ltd | hidden | hidden | n/a |
| LLP | <5 | <5 | n/a |
| Week ending | New companies |
|---|---|
| 31 Aug 2026 | 1,208 |
| 7 Sep 2026 | 1,747 |
| 14 Sep 2026 | 1,486 |
| 21 Sep 2026 | 1,498 |
| 28 Sep 2026 | 1,650 |
| 5 Oct 2026 | 1,468 |
| 12 Oct 2026 | 1,617 |
| 19 Oct 2026 | 1,571 |
Councils, ranked
35 councils in North West
- Manchester309▲ +8.8%
- Liverpool121▲ +24.7%
- Salford100▲ +19.0%
- Bolton88▲ +4.8%
- Trafford82▲ +67.3%
- Oldham67▼ −6.9%
- Cheshire East63▼ −3.1%
- Stockport55▼ −15.4%
- Warrington51▼ −26.1%
- Cheshire West and Chester49▼ −14.0%
- Bury48▼ −38.5%
- Blackburn with Darwen43▼ −14.0%
- Wirral43▼ −31.7%
- Rochdale42▼ −22.2%
- Sefton42▼ −17.6%
- Tameside34▼ −27.7%
- Preston30▼ −9.1%
- Wigan28▼ −20.0%
- St. Helens26▲ +36.8%
- Cumberland24▼ −4.0%
- Blackpool23▲ +43.8%
- Burnley22▲ +22.2%
- Westmorland and Furness19▼ −17.4%
- Knowsley18▲ +5.9%
- Halton17▲ +13.3%
- Pendle17▼ −34.6%
- Fylde16Same as last week
- Lancaster16▼ −20.0%
- Wyre15▼ −11.8%
- South Ribble14▲ +16.7%
- Chorley13▼ −48.0%
- Hyndburn13▼ −13.3%
- West Lancashire13▲ +44.4%
- Rossendale8No comparison
- Ribble Valley<5No comparison
Counts are by registered office address, which is not always where a business trades. Areas with company-formation or registered-office providers may show higher numbers.
Show as a table
| Area | This week | Change on previous week |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester | 309 | +8.8% (+25) |
| Liverpool | 121 | +24.7% (+24) |
| Salford | 100 | +19.0% (+16) |
| Bolton | 88 | +4.8% (+4) |
| Trafford | 82 | +67.3% (+33) |
| Oldham | 67 | -6.9% (-5) |
| Cheshire East | 63 | -3.1% (-2) |
| Stockport | 55 | -15.4% (-10) |
| Warrington | 51 | -26.1% (-18) |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 49 | -14.0% (-8) |
| Bury | 48 | -38.5% (-30) |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 43 | -14.0% (-7) |
| Wirral | 43 | -31.7% (-20) |
| Rochdale | 42 | -22.2% (-12) |
| Sefton | 42 | -17.6% (-9) |
| Tameside | 34 | -27.7% (-13) |
| Preston | 30 | -9.1% (-3) |
| Wigan | 28 | -20.0% (-7) |
| St. Helens | 26 | +36.8% (+7) |
| Cumberland | 24 | -4.0% (-1) |
| Blackpool | 23 | +43.8% (+7) |
| Burnley | 22 | +22.2% (+4) |
| Westmorland and Furness | 19 | -17.4% (-4) |
| Knowsley | 18 | +5.9% (+1) |
| Halton | 17 | +13.3% (+2) |
| Pendle | 17 | -34.6% (-9) |
| Fylde | 16 | +0.0% (+0) |
| Lancaster | 16 | -20.0% (-4) |
| Wyre | 15 | -11.8% (-2) |
| South Ribble | 14 | +16.7% (+2) |
| Chorley | 13 | -48.0% (-12) |
| Hyndburn | 13 | -13.3% (-2) |
| West Lancashire | 13 | +44.4% (+4) |
| Rossendale | 8 | n/a |
| Ribble Valley | <5 | n/a |
Counts are by registered office address, which is not always where a business trades. Areas with company-formation or registered-office providers may show higher numbers.
What kind of companies
- Retail & e-commerce312▲ +5.4%
- Property & lettings197▲ +9.4%
- Professional & business services175▼ −8.4%
- Food, drink & hospitality126▼ −23.2%
- Construction & trades113▼ −14.4%
- IT, software & telecoms107▼ −28.7%
- Wholesale & trading99▲ +5.3%
- Health, care & education85▲ +4.9%
- Transport & logistics74▲ +12.1%
- Holding companies & head offices61▲ +10.9%
Counts are by registered office address, which is not always where a business trades. Areas with company-formation or registered-office providers may show higher numbers.
Show as a table
| Industry group | This week | Change on previous week |
|---|---|---|
| Retail & e-commerce | 312 | +5.4% (+16) |
| Property & lettings | 197 | +9.4% (+17) |
| Professional & business services | 175 | -8.4% (-16) |
| Food, drink & hospitality | 126 | -23.2% (-38) |
| Construction & trades | 113 | -14.4% (-19) |
| IT, software & telecoms | 107 | -28.7% (-43) |
| Wholesale & trading | 99 | +5.3% (+5) |
| Health, care & education | 85 | +4.9% (+4) |
| Transport & logistics | 74 | +12.1% (+8) |
| Holding companies & head offices | 61 | +10.9% (+6) |
Counts are by registered office address, which is not always where a business trades. Areas with company-formation or registered-office providers may show higher numbers.
Industry groups are FreshlySpotted's own grouping of SIC 2007 codes (first code listed). Area is from the registered office postcode district.
Questions about new companies in North West
How many new companies were registered in North West this week?
1,571 new private limited companies and LLPs were incorporated in North West in the 7 days 13 Oct 2026 to 19 Oct 2026, 2.8% down on the previous week (1,617), according to the FreshlySpotted New Business Index, based on Companies House data.
How does that compare with last week?
That's 46 fewer than the week before (1,617).
Which council had the most new companies in North West this week?
Manchester, with 309 new companies in the week ending 19 Oct 2026.
What kinds of companies are being set up in North West?
The biggest industry groups this week were Retail & e-commerce (312), Property & lettings (197), Professional & business services (175).
Where do these figures come from?
Companies House incorporation records for new Ltd companies and LLPs, counted by incorporation date and matched to councils with the ONS National Statistics Postcode Lookup. Updated every Monday. Counts under 5 are shown as <5.