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Gift shop companies in the Portsmouth area

161 gift shop companies have a registered office in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes), and 21 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £15,385 in cash and owed £45,896 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 new goods in specialised stores (not commercial art galleries and opticians)” (SIC 47789). Covers companies with a registered office in PO postcodes, including Portsmouth, Chichester, Isle Of Wight.

The numbers

Gift shop companies in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasurePortsmouthUK
Registered companies16111,136
Formed in 2025 or 202621 (13%)20%
Being struck off or in liquidation17 (11%)11%
Typical cash at year end£15,38552 accounts£25,063
Typical amount owed at year end£45,896101 accounts£48,463
Typical number of employees299 accounts2

What this means if you’re starting one

You will be up against established operators

13% of the 161 gift shop companies in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) were formed in 2025–26, against 19% of all companies in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes).

Few new companies are entering, so your customers will compare you with businesses that have years of reviews and regulars.

Cash is tight in this trade

At year end the typical gift shop company in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) holds £15,385 in cash and owes £45,896; that cash figure is higher than 51% 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.

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical gift shop company in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) reports 2 employees; the top quarter has 4 or more (99 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.

Gift shop in other places

Other businesses in Portsmouth

All business benchmarks in Portsmouth