BenchmarklyAll benchmarks

Bike shop companies in London

1,111 bike shop companies have a registered office in London, and 424 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £12,832 in cash and owed £18,647 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Retail sale of sports goods, fishing gear, camping goods, boats and bicycles” (SIC 47640).

The numbers

Bike shop companies in London compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureLondonUK
Registered companies1,1118,433
Formed in 2025 or 2026424 (38%)26%
Being struck off or in liquidation112 (10%)10%
Typical cash at year end£12,832150 accounts£13,743
Typical amount owed at year end£18,647433 accounts£33,402
Typical number of employees1453 accounts1

What this means if you’re starting one

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical bike shop company in London reports 1 employee; the top quarter has 2 or more (453 filings).

You are mostly up against owner-operators. Your own hours are likely to be your biggest cost, and the easiest one to undercount.

London has fewer of these businesses than most places

Bike shop companies are 0.10% of companies registered in London, against 0.15% UK-wide (0.6× the national share).

That could be a gap or a sign of weak demand. The register cannot tell which.

At least a quarter of these companies owe more than they own

The lowest quarter of bike shop companies in London report net assets of -£5,139 or less; the median is £1,078 (419 filings).

Many operators are propped up by loans, unpaid bills or money from the owner rather than by profit kept in the business. It is easy to keep going for longer than the numbers justify.

Planning a business like this in London?

Answer two questions about your customer and what makes you different, and get a free three-week plan to test the idea before you spend real money. No account or card.

Check my idea

What these figures can’t tell you

Companies are counted where their registered office is, which may be an accountant or a home address rather than a shop. Sole traders and partnerships are not on the register, and electronically filed accounts cover roughly 60–75% of accounts filed each year. The figures describe companies that exist; they cannot prove demand for your idea or predict whether it will work. How the figures are built.

Bike shop in other places

Other businesses in London

All business benchmarks in London