680 new companies in South West this week
680 new private limited companies and LLPs were incorporated in South West in the 7 days 13 Oct 2026 to 19 Oct 2026, 10.8% down on the previous week (762), 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 | 680 | 762 | -10.8% (-82) |
| Ltd | hidden | hidden | n/a |
| LLP | <5 | <5 | n/a |
| Week ending | New companies |
|---|---|
| 31 Aug 2026 | 561 |
| 7 Sep 2026 | 777 |
| 14 Sep 2026 | 671 |
| 21 Sep 2026 | 714 |
| 28 Sep 2026 | 768 |
| 5 Oct 2026 | 726 |
| 12 Oct 2026 | 762 |
| 19 Oct 2026 | 680 |
Councils, ranked
27 councils in South West
- Bristol, City of61▼ −25.6%
- Dorset61▼ −7.6%
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole60▼ −38.8%
- Somerset58▲ +3.6%
- South Gloucestershire49▲ +16.7%
- Cornwall45▼ −32.8%
- Wiltshire45▼ −11.8%
- North Somerset35▲ +45.8%
- Swindon29▼ −23.7%
- Exeter27▲ +58.8%
- Gloucester26▼ −7.1%
- Plymouth24▼ −31.4%
- Cheltenham23▲ +4.5%
- Teignbridge21▲ +110.0%
- Cotswold15▲ +7.1%
- Stroud15▲ +36.4%
- Bath and North East Somerset14▼ −50.0%
- Torbay13▼ −7.1%
- South Hams12▲ +71.4%
- East Devon10▼ −47.4%
- Mid Devon9▲ +80.0%
- North Devon8Same as last week
- Tewkesbury6No comparison
- Forest of Dean5▼ −37.5%
- West Devon5No comparison
- Torridge<5No comparison
- Isles of Scilly0No 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol, City of | 61 | -25.6% (-21) |
| Dorset | 61 | -7.6% (-5) |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 60 | -38.8% (-38) |
| Somerset | 58 | +3.6% (+2) |
| South Gloucestershire | 49 | +16.7% (+7) |
| Cornwall | 45 | -32.8% (-22) |
| Wiltshire | 45 | -11.8% (-6) |
| North Somerset | 35 | +45.8% (+11) |
| Swindon | 29 | -23.7% (-9) |
| Exeter | 27 | +58.8% (+10) |
| Gloucester | 26 | -7.1% (-2) |
| Plymouth | 24 | -31.4% (-11) |
| Cheltenham | 23 | +4.5% (+1) |
| Teignbridge | 21 | +110.0% (+11) |
| Cotswold | 15 | +7.1% (+1) |
| Stroud | 15 | +36.4% (+4) |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 14 | -50.0% (-14) |
| Torbay | 13 | -7.1% (-1) |
| South Hams | 12 | +71.4% (+5) |
| East Devon | 10 | -47.4% (-9) |
| Mid Devon | 9 | +80.0% (+4) |
| North Devon | 8 | +0.0% (+0) |
| Tewkesbury | 6 | n/a |
| Forest of Dean | 5 | -37.5% (-3) |
| West Devon | 5 | n/a |
| Torridge | <5 | n/a |
| Isles of Scilly | 0 | 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-commerce97▲ +1.0%
- Professional & business services85▲ +6.2%
- Construction & trades77▼ −9.4%
- IT, software & telecoms75▼ −10.7%
- Property & lettings68▼ −19.0%
- Food, drink & hospitality55▼ −25.7%
- Health, care & education42▼ −2.3%
- Holding companies & head offices34▼ −15.0%
- Manufacturing & engineering27▼ −10.0%
- Admin, cleaning & support services27▲ +42.1%
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 | 97 | +1.0% (+1) |
| Professional & business services | 85 | +6.2% (+5) |
| Construction & trades | 77 | -9.4% (-8) |
| IT, software & telecoms | 75 | -10.7% (-9) |
| Property & lettings | 68 | -19.0% (-16) |
| Food, drink & hospitality | 55 | -25.7% (-19) |
| Health, care & education | 42 | -2.3% (-1) |
| Holding companies & head offices | 34 | -15.0% (-6) |
| Manufacturing & engineering | 27 | -10.0% (-3) |
| Admin, cleaning & support services | 27 | +42.1% (+8) |
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 South West
How many new companies were registered in South West this week?
680 new private limited companies and LLPs were incorporated in South West in the 7 days 13 Oct 2026 to 19 Oct 2026, 10.8% down on the previous week (762), according to the FreshlySpotted New Business Index, based on Companies House data.
How does that compare with last week?
That's 82 fewer than the week before (762).
Which council had the most new companies in South West this week?
Bristol, City of, with 61 new companies in the week ending 19 Oct 2026.
What kinds of companies are being set up in South West?
The biggest industry groups this week were Retail & e-commerce (97), Professional & business services (85), Construction & trades (77).
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.