One new hair and beauty company
every 37 minutes.

Every hair and beauty company (SIC 96020) registered in the UK in the year to September 2026 and still active, counted by council area against the number of people who live there.

The UK in three numbers

14,080new hair and beauty companies registered in the year to September 2026 and still active
37 minutesbetween each one, on average, about 39 a day
35.9%of the UK’s 70,089 active hair and beauty companies are under two years old

Companies, not shop fronts. Taking out offices shared by 10 or more beauty companies leaves 12,874, or 18.5 for every 100,000 people in the UK, and that’s what the area tables count.

The top 20 towns and cities outside London

Council areas outside London with at least 100,000 residents and 25 new companies, by new companies per 100,000 residents
Rank	Council area	Region or nation	New companies	Per 100,000 residents	Margin, plus or minus	One every (days)	Under 2 years old
1	Manchester	North West	201	34.2	4.7	1.8	42%
2	Hertsmere	East of England	36	33.0	10.7	10	37%
3	Sandwell	West Midlands	116	33.0	6.0	3.1	48%
4	Glasgow	Scotland	208	31.7	4.3	1.8	41%
5	Epping Forest	East of England	44	31.7	9.4	8.3	37%
6	Salford	North West	93	31.2	6.4	3.9	44%
7	Middlesbrough	North East	43	28.0	8.4	8.5	48%
8	Birmingham	West Midlands	324	27.6	3.0	1.1	43%
9	Cannock Chase	West Midlands	28	26.9	10.0	13	38%
10	Norwich	East of England	39	26.7	8.4	9.4	34%
11	Spelthorne	South East	28	26.5	9.7	13	42%
12	Dartford	South East	33	26.1	8.9	11	39%
13	Oldham	North West	66	26.0	6.3	5.6	48%
14	Wolverhampton	West Midlands	73	25.8	5.9	5.0	45%
15	Trafford	North West	62	25.8	6.4	5.9	34%
16	Gateshead	North East	52	25.7	7.0	7.0	45%
17	Tameside	North West	60	24.8	6.3	6.1	38%
18	Darlington	North East	28	24.5	9.1	13	34%
19	Sunderland	North East	70	24.5	5.7	5.2	48%
20	Milton Keynes	South East	75	24.3	5.5	4.9	39%

Manchester leads on 34.2 new companies for every 100,000 residents, against 18.5 for the UK. Birmingham registers the most of any council area, 324, one every 27 hours. Places within a few points are level, as the margins show, and the council figures are estimates.

Regions and nations

New hair and beauty companies by region and nation, year to September 2026
Rank	Region or nation	New companies	Per 100,000 residents	One every (hours)	Under 2 years old	Year before
1	London	2,710	29.7	3.2	35%	2,244
2	North West	1,598	20.6	5.5	38%	1,287
3	West Midlands	1,195	19.3	7.3	38%	885
4	North East	510	18.5	17.2	41%	417
5	Yorkshire and The Humber	1,030	18.2	8.5	38%	798
6	Scotland	961	17.3	9.1	38%	745
7	East of England	1,116	16.9	7.8	34%	953
8	East Midlands	849	16.7	10.3	36%	629
9	South East	1,512	15.6	5.8	33%	1,182
10	Wales	454	14.3	19.3	37%	358
11	South West	710	12.0	12.3	33%	557
12	Northern Ireland	228	11.8	38.4	41%	165

London has the highest rate, 29.7, one new company every 3.2 hours, and is ranked apart from the towns because registered offices cluster there. The year before counts the companies from that year that are still active now. Some have already closed, so every rise looks bigger than it really is.

England’s most deprived areas are starting them faster

English council areas outside London with 60,000 or more residents, in five groups by deprivation
Group	Council areas	New per 100,000 residents	Active per 10,000 residents	Under 2 years old
Most deprived fifth	51	21.4	9.2	41%
Second fifth	51	17.2	8.3	37%
Middle fifth	51	15.8	8.4	34%
Fourth fifth	51	15.4	8.3	33%
Least deprived fifth	55	14.4	8.4	30%

The most deprived fifth of England’s council areas registered 21.4 new hair and beauty companies for every 100,000 residents. The least deprived fifth registered 14.4, so the most deprived areas are starting them almost 50% faster. Yet both have about the same number of companies per head (9.2 and 8.4 per 10,000), so the trade in the most deprived areas is much younger: 41% of its companies are under two years old, against 30% in the least deprived.

The gap holds without barbers. Leaving out companies whose names suggest a barber, the most deprived fifth registered 18.0 and the least deprived 12.1. It shows a pattern across areas, not a cause, and an area’s average can hide streets far more or far less deprived than the area as a whole.

Every council area in the UK

All 361 council areas, by new companies per 100,000 residents. Small areas and central London swing a long way, so check the margin before comparing two places.

All 361 council areas, highest rate first.

New hair and beauty companies by council area, year to September 2026
UK rank	Council area	Region or nation	New companies	Per 100,000 residents	Margin, plus or minus	One every (days)	Under 2 years old
1	City of London	London	15	95.9	48.5	24	29%
2	Westminster	London	147	69.0	11.2	2.5	31%
3	Camden	London	87	40.3	8.5	4.2	32%
4	Brentwood	East of England	29	36.8	13.3	12	40%
5	Barking and Dagenham	London	85	35.8	7.6	4.3	47%
6	Redbridge	London	114	35.4	6.5	3.2	38%
7	Hammersmith and Fulham	London	65	34.4	8.3	5.6	31%
8	Manchester	North West	201	34.2	4.7	1.8	42%
9	Islington	London	74	33.1	7.5	4.9	33%
10	Hertsmere	East of England	36	33.0	10.7	10	37%
11	Sandwell	West Midlands	116	33.0	6.0	3.1	48%
12	Haringey	London	87	32.8	6.9	4.2	32%
13	Enfield	London	107	32.5	6.2	3.4	32%
14	Brent	London	114	32.3	5.9	3.2	38%
15	Waltham Forest	London	91	32.0	6.6	4.0	39%
16	Croydon	London	131	32.0	5.5	2.8	39%
17	Glasgow	Scotland	208	31.7	4.3	1.8	41%
18	Epping Forest	East of England	44	31.7	9.4	8.3	37%
19	Hackney	London	84	31.6	6.8	4.3	35%
20	Salford	North West	93	31.2	6.4	3.9	44%
21	Newham	London	117	31.1	5.6	3.1	38%
22	Oadby and Wigston	East Midlands	19	30.7	13.8	19	35%
23	Kensington and Chelsea	London	44	30.0	8.9	8.4	27%
24	Ealing	London	112	28.9	5.4	3.3	35%
25	Barnet	London	118	28.9	5.2	3.1	30%
26	Southwark	London	89	28.4	5.9	4.1	36%
27	Havering	London	79	28.0	6.2	4.6	37%
28	Middlesbrough	North East	43	28.0	8.4	8.5	48%
29	Hillingdon	London	91	27.8	5.7	4.0	36%
30	Birmingham	West Midlands	324	27.6	3.0	1.1	43%
31	Greenwich	London	83	27.4	5.9	4.4	39%
32	Tower Hamlets	London	91	27.1	5.6	4.0	34%
33	Hounslow	London	81	27.0	5.9	4.5	38%
34	Cannock Chase	West Midlands	28	26.9	10.0	13	38%
35	Norwich	East of England	39	26.7	8.4	9.4	34%
36	Spelthorne	South East	28	26.5	9.7	13	42%
37	Dartford	South East	33	26.1	8.9	11	39%
38	Oldham	North West	66	26.0	6.3	5.6	48%
39	Wolverhampton	West Midlands	73	25.8	5.9	5.0	45%
40	Trafford	North West	62	25.8	6.4	5.9	34%
41	Gateshead	North East	52	25.7	7.0	7.0	45%
42	West Dunbartonshire	Scotland	23	25.6	10.5	16	35%
43	Bromley	London	85	25.3	5.4	4.3	33%
44	Lewisham	London	76	25.2	5.7	4.8	39%
45	Tameside	North West	60	24.8	6.3	6.1	38%
46	Darlington	North East	28	24.5	9.1	13	34%
47	Sunderland	North East	70	24.5	5.7	5.2	48%
48	Kingston upon Thames	London	42	24.5	7.4	8.6	35%
49	Lambeth	London	76	24.3	5.5	4.8	32%
50	Milton Keynes	South East	75	24.3	5.5	4.9	39%
51	Liverpool	North West	123	24.3	4.3	3.0	41%
52	Ipswich	East of England	34	24.2	8.2	11	31%
53	Rochdale	North West	58	24.2	6.3	6.3	40%
54	Harrow	London	66	24.2	5.8	5.5	29%
55	Harlow	East of England	24	24.1	9.7	15	39%
56	Merton	London	53	24.0	6.5	6.9	36%
57	Cardiff	Wales	91	23.9	4.9	4.0	38%
58	Luton	East of England	56	23.8	6.2	6.5	41%
59	East Dunbartonshire	Scotland	26	23.7	9.1	14	37%
60	Lichfield	West Midlands	27	23.7	9.0	14	33%
61	Pendle	North West	24	23.5	9.5	16	42%
62	Falkirk	Scotland	38	23.5	7.5	9.7	43%
63	North Lanarkshire	Scotland	81	23.5	5.1	4.5	44%
64	Gravesham	South East	26	23.4	9.0	14	41%
65	Bexley	London	60	23.4	5.9	6.1	33%
66	Southend-on-Sea	East of England	43	23.3	6.9	8.5	33%
67	Walsall	West Midlands	69	23.2	5.5	5.3	43%
68	Sheffield	Yorkshire and The Humber	133	23.0	3.9	2.7	42%
69	Sutton	London	49	23.0	6.4	7.4	35%
70	Mansfield	East Midlands	26	23.0	8.8	14	44%
71	Woking	South East	24	22.9	9.1	15	39%
72	Nottingham	East Midlands	75	22.9	5.2	4.9	41%
73	Leicester	East Midlands	87	22.8	4.8	4.2	40%
74	Leeds	Yorkshire and The Humber	189	22.5	3.2	1.9	37%
75	Broxbourne	East of England	23	22.5	9.1	16	29%
76	Watford	East of England	24	22.3	8.9	15	35%
77	Derby	East Midlands	61	22.1	5.6	6.0	39%
78	Bolton	North West	68	22.0	5.2	5.3	35%
79	Cheshire West and Chester	North West	82	22.0	4.8	4.4	38%
80	Bradford	Yorkshire and The Humber	121	21.8	3.9	3.0	40%
81	Southampton	South East	56	21.7	5.7	6.5	37%
82	Uttlesford	East of England	21	21.7	9.3	17	32%
83	Amber Valley	East Midlands	28	21.5	7.9	13	41%
84	East Renfrewshire	Scotland	21	21.4	9.1	17	44%
85	South Lanarkshire	Scotland	71	21.4	5.0	5.1	40%
86	Coventry	West Midlands	78	21.3	4.7	4.7	47%
87	Blackburn with Darwen	North West	35	21.2	7.0	11	46%
88	Dundee City	Scotland	31	21.2	7.4	12	47%
89	Blaby	East Midlands	23	21.0	8.6	16	38%
90	Newport	Wales	35	20.9	6.9	10	38%
91	Rushmoor	South East	22	20.8	8.7	17	37%
92	Bury	North West	41	20.8	6.3	8.8	36%
93	Stockport	North West	63	20.8	5.1	5.8	32%
94	Epsom and Ewell	South East	17	20.6	9.7	21	34%
95	Dacorum	East of England	33	20.6	7.0	11	34%
96	Newcastle upon Tyne	North East	66	20.5	5.0	5.6	36%
97	Chesterfield	East Midlands	22	20.4	8.6	17	37%
98	Elmbridge	South East	29	20.3	7.4	13	29%
99	Slough	South East	34	20.3	6.8	11	34%
100	Wakefield	Yorkshire and The Humber	75	20.2	4.6	4.9	43%
101	Dudley	West Midlands	67	20.2	4.8	5.4	37%
102	Nuneaton and Bedworth	West Midlands	29	20.1	7.3	13	42%
103	Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	South West	81	20.0	4.4	4.5	39%
104	Guildford	South East	30	20.0	7.1	12	33%
105	Blackpool	North West	28	19.8	7.3	13	43%
106	Peterborough	East of England	44	19.8	5.8	8.2	35%
107	Richmond upon Thames	London	39	19.7	6.2	9.4	28%
108	Belfast	Northern Ireland	69	19.6	4.6	5.3	43%
109	Mole Valley	South East	17	19.5	9.2	21	28%
110	Boston	East Midlands	14	19.5	10.2	26	40%
111	South Ribble	North West	23	19.5	8.0	16	35%
112	Fylde	North West	17	19.4	9.3	22	33%
113	Eastbourne	South East	20	19.3	8.5	18	39%
114	Rugby	West Midlands	24	19.3	7.7	15	36%
115	West Suffolk	East of England	36	19.2	6.2	10	34%
116	Reading	South East	35	19.1	6.3	10	35%
117	Wyre	North West	23	19.0	7.8	16	38%
118	North East Derbyshire	East Midlands	20	19.0	8.2	18	33%
119	Test Valley	South East	26	19.0	7.3	14	34%
120	Crawley	South East	23	18.7	7.6	16	42%
121	North Tyneside	North East	40	18.7	5.8	9.1	37%
122	Bedford	East of England	37	18.7	6.0	10	39%
123	West Northamptonshire	East Midlands	82	18.5	4.0	4.4	33%
124	Doncaster	Yorkshire and The Humber	60	18.5	4.7	6.1	38%
125	Cherwell	South East	32	18.4	6.4	12	34%
126	Ribble Valley	North West	12	18.4	10.3	30	26%
127	Kirklees	Yorkshire and The Humber	82	18.4	4.0	4.5	40%
128	Havant	South East	23	18.2	7.4	16	32%
129	Tandridge	South East	16	18.1	8.8	22	32%
130	Portsmouth	South East	38	18.0	5.7	9.6	39%
131	Reigate and Banstead	South East	29	18.0	6.6	13	30%
132	Gedling	East Midlands	22	18.0	7.5	17	41%
133	Exeter	South West	25	17.9	7.1	15	36%
134	Hull	Yorkshire and The Humber	49	17.9	5.0	7.5	43%
135	Tendring	East of England	28	17.8	6.6	13	42%
136	Preston	North West	29	17.7	6.4	13	35%
137	Windsor and Maidenhead	South East	28	17.6	6.5	13	29%
138	Aberdeen City	Scotland	40	17.5	5.4	9.0	40%
139	Wigan	North West	61	17.5	4.4	6.0	38%
140	Canterbury	South East	29	17.5	6.4	13	38%
141	Bromsgrove	West Midlands	18	17.5	8.1	20	37%
142	Worcester	West Midlands	19	17.4	7.9	20	29%
143	Vale of Glamorgan	Wales	24	17.4	7.0	16	30%
144	South Ayrshire	Scotland	19	17.4	7.7	19	34%
145	Wandsworth	London	59	17.3	4.4	6.2	31%
146	Hyndburn	North West	15	17.3	8.7	24	44%
147	Stockton-on-Tees	North East	36	17.3	5.7	10	41%
148	Thurrock	East of England	31	17.3	6.0	12	38%
149	Stratford-on-Avon	West Midlands	26	17.3	6.7	14	40%
150	Barnsley	Yorkshire and The Humber	44	17.3	5.1	8.4	38%
151	Erewash	East Midlands	19	17.0	7.6	19	34%
152	Cheltenham	South West	20	16.8	7.3	18	25%
153	Rhondda Cynon Taf	Wales	41	16.8	5.2	9.0	36%
154	North Lincolnshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	29	16.7	6.1	13	39%
155	Gloucester	South West	23	16.7	6.8	16	41%
156	Edinburgh	Scotland	88	16.6	3.5	4.1	34%
157	Rotherham	Yorkshire and The Humber	46	16.6	4.8	7.9	37%
158	Dover	South East	20	16.6	7.3	18	36%
159	Worthing	South East	19	16.5	7.5	19	30%
160	North Kesteven	East Midlands	20	16.5	7.2	18	40%
161	Solihull	West Midlands	37	16.5	5.4	10	31%
162	Cheshire East	North West	70	16.5	3.9	5.2	32%
163	Three Rivers	East of England	16	16.5	8.1	23	29%
164	Burnley	North West	17	16.5	7.9	22	32%
165	Colchester	East of England	33	16.5	5.6	11	36%
166	North Warwickshire	West Midlands	11	16.4	9.7	33	31%
167	South Tyneside	North East	25	16.4	6.4	15	39%
168	St. Helens	North West	31	16.3	5.7	12	48%
169	Lancaster	North West	24	16.3	6.6	15	39%
170	Rochford	East of England	15	16.3	8.3	25	34%
171	Bassetlaw	East Midlands	21	16.3	7.0	18	39%
172	Stevenage	East of England	15	16.3	8.2	24	33%
173	Chorley	North West	20	16.2	7.1	19	36%
174	West Lothian	Scotland	30	16.1	5.8	12	34%
175	County Durham	North East	87	16.1	3.4	4.2	45%
176	Broadland	East of England	22	16.0	6.6	16	40%
177	St Albans	East of England	24	16.0	6.4	15	27%
178	Renfrewshire	Scotland	30	16.0	5.7	12	35%
179	Buckinghamshire	South East	93	16.0	3.2	3.9	28%
180	East Lothian	Scotland	19	15.9	7.3	20	39%
181	East Hertfordshire	East of England	25	15.9	6.2	15	27%
182	Medway	South East	46	15.9	4.6	7.9	35%
183	Calderdale	Yorkshire and The Humber	33	15.8	5.4	11	32%
184	Castle Point	East of England	14	15.7	8.2	26	26%
185	East Staffordshire	West Midlands	21	15.7	6.8	18	30%
186	Bolsover	East Midlands	13	15.5	8.4	28	45%
187	Denbighshire	Wales	15	15.5	7.8	24	41%
188	Wirral	North West	51	15.5	4.2	7.1	37%
189	Basildon	East of England	30	15.5	5.5	12	29%
190	Swansea	Wales	39	15.5	4.9	9.5	31%
191	North Somerset	South West	35	15.4	5.1	11	37%
192	Central Bedfordshire	East of England	49	15.3	4.3	7.4	36%
193	Bracknell Forest	South East	20	15.3	6.7	18	35%
194	Melton	East Midlands	8	15.3	10.4	44	30%
195	High Peak	East Midlands	14	15.2	8.0	26	34%
196	Knowsley	North West	25	15.2	6.0	15	44%
197	Chelmsford	East of England	29	15.1	5.5	13	29%
198	Winchester	South East	21	15.1	6.5	18	34%
199	Maldon	East of England	11	15.0	9.1	35	31%
200	Swindon	South West	37	15.0	4.8	9.9	32%
201	North Ayrshire	Scotland	20	15.0	6.6	18	38%
202	Telford and Wrekin	West Midlands	30	14.9	5.4	12	39%
203	Bristol	South West	74	14.9	3.4	4.9	36%
204	Halton	North West	20	14.9	6.6	19	36%
205	North Northamptonshire	East Midlands	56	14.8	3.9	6.5	35%
206	Arun	South East	25	14.8	5.7	14	37%
207	Hart	South East	15	14.7	7.4	24	35%
208	Mid Sussex	South East	24	14.6	5.9	15	33%
209	Hinckley and Bosworth	East Midlands	17	14.6	6.9	21	34%
210	Warrington	North West	31	14.6	5.1	12	33%
211	Runnymede	South East	14	14.6	7.8	27	33%
212	Huntingdonshire	East of England	28	14.6	5.4	13	34%
213	Brighton and Hove	South East	41	14.5	4.4	8.8	30%
214	Conwy	Wales	17	14.5	7.0	22	42%
215	West Lancashire	North West	18	14.4	6.7	21	33%
216	Ashfield	East Midlands	19	14.4	6.5	20	36%
217	Adur	South East	9	14.2	9.2	40	29%
218	North East Lincolnshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	23	14.1	5.8	16	33%
219	Clackmannanshire	Scotland	7	14.1	10.3	50	42%
220	Warwick	West Midlands	22	14.1	5.8	16	27%
221	North West Leicestershire	East Midlands	16	14.0	6.9	23	30%
222	Tonbridge and Malling	South East	19	13.9	6.2	19	31%
223	South Holland	East Midlands	14	13.9	7.3	26	39%
224	Fareham	South East	16	13.9	6.8	23	29%
225	Oxford	South East	23	13.7	5.6	16	42%
226	East Ayrshire	Scotland	17	13.6	6.6	22	36%
227	Sefton	North West	39	13.5	4.2	9.4	37%
228	Maidstone	South East	26	13.4	5.2	14	32%
229	Cumberland	North West	38	13.4	4.3	9.6	34%
230	Rushcliffe	East Midlands	17	13.4	6.3	21	32%
231	Ashford	South East	19	13.3	6.0	19	30%
232	Wokingham	South East	25	13.3	5.2	15	33%
233	Lewes	South East	14	13.2	7.0	27	41%
234	Caerphilly	Wales	23	13.2	5.4	16	42%
235	Gosport	South East	11	13.2	7.8	34	33%
236	Neath Port Talbot	Wales	19	13.2	6.0	20	41%
237	Merthyr Tydfil	Wales	8	13.2	9.3	48	47%
238	Tamworth	West Midlands	11	13.1	7.9	34	30%
239	Surrey Heath	South East	12	13.1	7.3	29	22%
240	Scottish Borders	Scotland	15	13.0	6.5	24	50%
241	Rossendale	North West	10	13.0	8.2	38	36%
242	East Cambridgeshire	East of England	12	12.9	7.2	30	35%
243	Lincoln	East Midlands	13	12.8	6.9	28	34%
244	Welwyn Hatfield	East of England	16	12.8	6.4	23	33%
245	Derry City and Strabane	Northern Ireland	20	12.8	5.7	19	39%
246	Stirling	Scotland	12	12.8	7.2	30	30%
247	Breckland	East of England	19	12.8	5.8	19	34%
248	Stafford	West Midlands	18	12.6	5.8	20	30%
249	Newark and Sherwood	East Midlands	16	12.6	6.1	23	30%
250	Plymouth	South West	34	12.6	4.2	11	37%
251	Sevenoaks	South East	15	12.6	6.3	24	31%
252	Thanet	South East	18	12.5	5.8	20	30%
253	South Kesteven	East Midlands	18	12.5	5.7	20	33%
254	Staffordshire Moorlands	West Midlands	12	12.4	7.0	30	44%
255	Chichester	South East	16	12.4	6.1	23	28%
256	North Yorkshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	79	12.4	2.7	4.6	34%
257	Cambridge	East of England	18	12.2	5.6	20	29%
258	Folkestone and Hythe	South East	14	12.2	6.5	27	30%
259	Newry, Mourne and Down	Northern Ireland	22	12.2	5.1	16	41%
260	Basingstoke and Deane	South East	24	12.1	4.9	16	35%
261	Flintshire	Wales	19	12.1	5.5	19	33%
262	Redcar and Cleveland	North East	17	12.1	5.8	22	43%
263	Somerset	South West	71	12.0	2.8	5.1	35%
264	York	Yorkshire and The Humber	25	12.0	4.7	15	31%
265	Braintree	East of England	20	12.0	5.3	18	32%
266	Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon	Northern Ireland	27	12.0	4.5	14	44%
267	Midlothian	Scotland	12	12.0	6.8	30	32%
268	Wrexham	Wales	16	11.9	5.8	22	32%
269	South Norfolk	East of England	18	11.9	5.5	20	35%
270	Horsham	South East	18	11.9	5.5	20	38%
271	Inverclyde	Scotland	9	11.7	7.6	40	37%
272	Charnwood	East Midlands	22	11.7	4.9	16	28%
273	Rother	South East	11	11.7	6.8	33	28%
274	Carmarthenshire	Wales	22	11.7	4.9	16	41%
275	West Oxfordshire	South East	14	11.7	6.1	26	27%
276	Moray	Scotland	11	11.7	6.9	33	46%
277	Wyre Forest	West Midlands	12	11.6	6.5	30	28%
278	East Riding of Yorkshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	42	11.6	3.5	8.8	35%
279	Tunbridge Wells	South East	14	11.5	6.1	26	25%
280	Lisburn and Castlereagh	Northern Ireland	17	11.5	5.4	21	36%
281	Fenland	East of England	12	11.5	6.5	30	39%
282	Northumberland	North East	38	11.5	3.6	9.5	33%
283	Forest of Dean	South West	10	11.3	6.9	36	42%
284	Torfaen	Wales	11	11.2	6.8	35	38%
285	Swale	South East	18	11.1	5.2	20	43%
286	Fife	Scotland	42	11.1	3.4	8.8	30%
287	South Gloucestershire	South West	34	11.1	3.7	11	34%
288	West Lindsey	East Midlands	11	11.0	6.5	33	36%
289	East Hampshire	South East	14	10.9	5.7	26	31%
290	Dorset	South West	43	10.9	3.3	8.5	29%
291	North Hertfordshire	East of England	15	10.8	5.5	25	34%
292	Eastleigh	South East	15	10.7	5.3	24	25%
293	South Hams	South West	10	10.6	6.6	37	41%
294	Pembrokeshire	Wales	13	10.6	5.7	27	35%
295	East Suffolk	East of England	26	10.6	4.0	14	35%
296	Bridgend	Wales	15	10.5	5.2	24	41%
297	Hastings	South East	9	10.4	6.6	39	40%
298	South Staffordshire	West Midlands	12	10.4	5.9	31	30%
299	Torbay	South West	14	10.3	5.3	25	30%
300	Wealden	South East	17	10.3	4.8	21	28%
301	Monmouthshire	Wales	10	10.2	6.4	38	32%
302	Waverley	South East	14	10.2	5.3	26	24%
303	Herefordshire	West Midlands	20	10.2	4.5	19	36%
304	East Lindsey	East Midlands	15	10.0	5.1	25	31%
305	Isle of Wight	South East	14	9.9	5.2	26	38%
306	Cornwall	South West	58	9.9	2.6	6.3	37%
307	Mid Ulster	Northern Ireland	15	9.9	5.0	24	45%
308	New Forest	South East	17	9.9	4.6	21	26%
309	South Cambridgeshire	East of England	17	9.8	4.6	21	27%
310	West Berkshire	South East	16	9.8	4.8	23	22%
311	Great Yarmouth	East of England	10	9.7	6.1	37	30%
312	Highland	Scotland	23	9.7	4.0	16	39%
313	East Devon	South West	15	9.7	4.8	24	30%
314	Dumfries and Galloway	Scotland	14	9.6	5.0	26	38%
315	Newcastle-under-Lyme	West Midlands	12	9.5	5.3	30	26%
316	Shropshire	West Midlands	32	9.5	3.3	12	29%
317	Wiltshire	South West	50	9.5	2.6	7.3	29%
318	Stoke-on-Trent	West Midlands	26	9.5	3.7	14	35%
319	Westmorland and Furness	North West	22	9.4	4.0	17	25%
320	Angus	Scotland	11	9.4	5.6	34	30%
321	Broxtowe	East Midlands	11	9.4	5.6	34	40%
322	South Oxfordshire	South East	15	9.3	4.8	25	32%
323	Stroud	South West	12	9.3	5.3	31	33%
324	Antrim and Newtownabbey	Northern Ireland	14	9.2	4.9	27	38%
325	Bath and North East Somerset	South West	18	9.0	4.1	20	20%
326	Perth and Kinross	Scotland	14	8.9	4.7	26	37%
327	Ceredigion	Wales	6	8.9	6.9	56	46%
328	North Norfolk	East of England	9	8.9	5.7	40	36%
329	King's Lynn and West Norfolk	East of England	14	8.8	4.7	26	33%
330	Tewkesbury	South West	9	8.8	5.7	40	21%
331	Harborough	East Midlands	9	8.8	5.6	39	25%
332	Mid and East Antrim	Northern Ireland	12	8.6	4.9	30	30%
333	Hartlepool	North East	9	8.5	5.7	43	36%
334	Fermanagh and Omagh	Northern Ireland	10	8.5	5.3	37	50%
335	Malvern Hills	West Midlands	7	8.5	6.2	51	25%
336	Argyll and Bute	Scotland	7	8.5	6.1	49	40%
337	Gwynedd	Wales	10	8.4	5.2	36	42%
338	Ards and North Down	Northern Ireland	14	8.4	4.4	26	36%
339	South Derbyshire	East Midlands	10	8.1	5.1	38	21%
340	Derbyshire Dales	East Midlands	6	8.0	6.5	63	23%
341	Vale of White Horse	South East	12	8.0	4.5	30	29%
342	Teignbridge	South West	11	8.0	4.7	33	27%
343	Powys	Wales	11	7.9	4.7	34	39%
344	Wychavon	West Midlands	11	7.9	4.7	33	24%
345	Rutland	East Midlands	3	7.9	8.5	111	32%
346	Blaenau Gwent	Wales	5	7.7	6.6	71	56%
347	Babergh	East of England	7	7.6	5.5	49	29%
348	Aberdeenshire	Scotland	20	7.5	3.3	18	33%
349	Isle of Anglesey	Wales	5	7.3	6.4	73	35%
350	Torridge	South West	5	7.2	6.3	72	32%
351	North Devon	South West	6	6.3	4.9	58	30%
352	Mid Devon	South West	5	6.2	5.3	68	32%
353	Mid Suffolk	East of England	7	6.1	4.5	53	24%
354	Cotswold	South West	6	6.0	5.0	66	23%
355	Redditch	West Midlands	5	6.0	5.1	69	23%
356	Causeway Coast and Glens	Northern Ireland	8	6.0	4.0	43	49%
357	Shetland Islands	Scotland	1	4.4	8.6	365	14%
358	West Devon	South West	2	3.6	4.8	172	19%
359	Na h-Eileanan Siar	Scotland	0	0.0	0.0	None	25%
360	Orkney Islands	Scotland	0	0.0	0.0	None	0%
361	Isles of Scilly	South West	0	0.0	0.0	None	0%

Download the full table as a CSV, with the year before, active companies per head and how much of each area’s count is estimated.

How we counted

Where it comes from. Companies House’s bulk data, October 2026 snapshot: active private limited companies with SIC code 96020, hairdressing and other beauty treatment.
What new means. Incorporated from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026 and still active on the snapshot date. That’s 14,080 in all. The area tables use 12,874, after taking out registered offices shared by 10 or more beauty companies, which are formation agents, accountants and virtual offices. 64% of the companies taken out were in London.
Companies, not shop fronts. A company is counted at its registered office, which is usually but not always where it trades. One owner can run more than one company, and a new company can be an existing business changing form.
Sole traders aren’t on the register. The real number of new hair and beauty businesses is higher, and areas where most people work for themselves, such as Northern Ireland and rural areas, look lower than they are.
Council areas are estimates. The register data we hold gives each company’s postcode district. Where a district crosses a council boundary, its companies are shared out by the number of live residential postcodes on each side, from the ONS Postcode Directory. The download says how much of each area’s count comes from districts wholly inside it.
Population. ONS mid-2025 estimates through Nomis, which include figures from National Records of Scotland and NISRA.
Year on year. The year before counts the companies from that year that are still active now. Some have already closed, so every rise looks bigger than it really is.
Margins. Each area’s margin is 1.96 times the square root of its count, per 100,000 residents. Places within a few points of each other are effectively level.
Deprivation. England only, council areas outside London with 60,000 or more residents, put in five groups by the average deprivation rank of their postcodes (the English Indices of Deprivation, as the ONS Postcode Directory gives them). It shows a pattern across areas, not a cause.
No company is named. These are counts only. Many company names are people’s names, so we keep them out.

Questions about the figures

Does this count shop fronts or sole traders?

No. It counts private limited companies registered with the code for hairdressing and other beauty treatment, at their registered office, which is usually but not always where they trade. Sole traders aren’t on the register, so the real number of new hair and beauty businesses is higher.

Why is London ranked separately?

Registered offices cluster there. 64% of the companies at shared offices that we took out were in London, and Westminster, Camden and the City are still lifted by offices that serve businesses elsewhere.

How exact are the council figures?

They’re estimates. The register gives each company’s postcode district, and a district that crosses a council boundary is shared out by postcode counts. The download says how much of each area’s count comes from districts wholly inside it, and gives a margin for every area. Places within a few points of each other are effectively level.

Can I use these figures?

Yes, they’re free to use. Please credit Covered Beauty and keep the licence line, as the figures are built from Companies House and ONS data under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The CSV has every council area.

Who made this?

Covered Beauty, a UK booking app for salons of one to five people, run by HAMR Ltd from Whitehaven in Cumbria. We counted it because we couldn’t find a published count of how many hair and beauty businesses start in the UK each year, area by area.

Each region and nation

London

2,710 new companies, one every 3.2 hours.

See every council area

North West

1,598 new companies, one every 5.5 hours.

See every council area

West Midlands

1,195 new companies, one every 7.3 hours.

See every council area

North East

510 new companies, one every 17.2 hours.

See every council area

Yorkshire and The Humber

1,030 new companies, one every 8.5 hours.

See every council area

Scotland

961 new companies, one every 9.1 hours.

See every council area

East of England

1,116 new companies, one every 7.8 hours.

See every council area

East Midlands

849 new companies, one every 10.3 hours.

See every council area

South East

1,512 new companies, one every 5.8 hours.

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Wales

454 new companies, one every 19.3 hours.

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South West

710 new companies, one every 12.3 hours.

See every council area

Northern Ireland

228 new companies, one every 38.4 hours.

See every council area

Just set up on your own? Here’s what to sort before your first paying client.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Companies House and Office for National Statistics. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026. Figures for the year to 30 September 2026, from the October 2026 snapshot of the register. Download every council area as a CSV.

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The UK in three numbers

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Regions and nations

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Every council area in the UK

How we counted

Questions about the figures

Each region and nation

London

North West

West Midlands

North East

Yorkshire and The Humber

Scotland

East of England

East Midlands

South East

Wales

South West

Northern Ireland

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