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Equipment hire companies in the Southampton area

74 equipment hire companies have a registered office in the Southampton area (SO postcodes), and 10 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £12,809 in cash and owed £63,730 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Renting and leasing of other machinery, equipment and tangible goods n.e.c.” (SIC 77390). Covers companies with a registered office in SO postcodes, including Southampton, Winchester, Eastleigh.

The numbers

Equipment hire companies in the Southampton area (SO postcodes) compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureSouthamptonUK
Registered companies745,491
Formed in 2025 or 202610 (14%)16%
Being struck off or in liquidation5 (6.8%)6.8%
Typical cash at year end£12,80933 accounts£25,517
Typical amount owed at year end£63,73045 accounts£59,303
Typical number of employees147 accounts1

What this means if you’re starting one

Cash is tight in this trade

At year end the typical equipment hire company in the Southampton area (SO postcodes) holds £12,809 in cash and owes £63,730; that cash figure is higher than 52% 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.

Expect real upfront spend on equipment or fit-out

The typical equipment hire company in the Southampton area (SO postcodes) carries £85,005 of equipment and other fixed assets after depreciation, higher than 89% of UK industries.

Kit and premises are a big part of the cost of entry, and that money is hard to get back if the idea does not work.

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical equipment hire company in the Southampton area (SO postcodes) reports 1 employee; the top quarter has 2 or more (47 filings).

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

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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.

Equipment hire in other places

Other businesses in Southampton

All business benchmarks in Southampton