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Deli or specialist food shop companies in Edinburgh

127 deli or specialist food shop companies have a registered office in Edinburgh, and 35 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £27,932 in cash and owed £43,739 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Other retail sale of food in specialised stores” (SIC 47290).

The numbers

Deli or specialist food shop companies in Edinburgh compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureEdinburghUK
Registered companies1278,573
Formed in 2025 or 202635 (28%)30%
Being struck off or in liquidation12 (9.4%)13%
Typical cash at year end£27,93231 accounts£14,024
Typical amount owed at year end£43,73962 accounts£32,289
Typical number of employees262 accounts2

What this means if you’re starting one

More of these companies are closing than in most trades

7.1% of deli or specialist food shop companies in Edinburgh are currently being struck off, against 7.1% of all companies there. Nationally that rate is higher than 84% of UK industries.

Closures run high here. It is a churn signal, not a survival rate, but it means the common failure points are worth learning before you start.

Edinburgh already has more of these businesses than most places

Deli or specialist food shop companies are 0.23% of companies registered in Edinburgh, against 0.16% UK-wide (1.4× the national share).

Demand here is proven, but so is choice. Customers can compare you with several nearby options.

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical deli or specialist food shop company in Edinburgh reports 2 employees; the top quarter has 6 or more (62 filings).

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

Planning a business like this in Edinburgh?

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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.

Deli or specialist food shop in other places

Other businesses in Edinburgh

All business benchmarks in Edinburgh