Hair and beauty salon companies in the Portsmouth area
823 hair and beauty salon companies have a registered office in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes), and 234 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £5,592 in cash and owed £11,475 at year end.
The numbers
| Measure | Portsmouth | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Registered companies | 823 | 70,423 |
| Formed in 2025 or 2026 | 234 (28%) | 29% |
| Being struck off or in liquidation | 89 (11%) | 11% |
| Typical cash at year end | £5,592205 accounts | £4,638 |
| Typical amount owed at year end | £11,475459 accounts | £8,939 |
| Typical number of employees | 2464 accounts | 2 |
What this means if you’re starting one
Cash is tight in this trade
At year end the typical hair and beauty salon company in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) holds £5,592 in cash and owes £11,475; that cash figure is lower than 99% 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 your competition will be other newcomers
28% of the 823 hair and beauty salon companies in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) were formed in 2025–26, against 19% of all companies in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes). Nationally, that share of new companies is higher than 85% of UK industries.
New rivals are arriving faster than in most trades, so your customers already have fresh options. Being new is not a difference on its own.
Most of these businesses are run by one or two people
The typical hair and beauty salon company in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) reports 2 employees; the top quarter has 3 or more (464 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 Portsmouth?
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Check my ideaWhat 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.
Hair and beauty salon in other places
- Brighton793 companies
- Guildford788 companies
- Milton Keynes680 companies
- Southampton679 companies
- Reading674 companies
- Dartford655 companies
- Kingston upon Thames650 companies
- Tonbridge597 companies
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