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Deli or specialist food shop companies in London

1,604 deli or specialist food shop companies have a registered office in London, and 568 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £13,966 in cash and owed £29,935 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 London compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureLondonUK
Registered companies1,6048,573
Formed in 2025 or 2026568 (35%)30%
Being struck off or in liquidation178 (11%)13%
Typical cash at year end£13,966260 accounts£14,024
Typical amount owed at year end£29,935678 accounts£32,289
Typical number of employees2692 accounts2

What this means if you’re starting one

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical deli or specialist food shop company in London reports 2 employees; the top quarter has 5 or more (692 filings).

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

More of these companies are closing than in most trades

9.8% of deli or specialist food shop companies in London are currently being struck off, against 6.9% 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.

Cash is tight in this trade

At year end the typical deli or specialist food shop company in London holds £13,966 in cash and owes £29,935; that cash figure is lower than 75% of UK industries.

Typical operators end the year holding less cash than they owe, so there is little slack if takings dip or a big bill lands early.

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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 London

All business benchmarks in London