BenchmarklyAll benchmarks

Optician companies in London

302 optician companies have a registered office in London, and 59 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £35,247 in cash and owed £61,225 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Retail sale by opticians” (SIC 47782).

The numbers

Optician companies in London compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureLondonUK
Registered companies3023,900
Formed in 2025 or 202659 (20%)11%
Being struck off or in liquidation14 (4.6%)2.6%
Typical cash at year end£35,24788 accounts£28,184
Typical amount owed at year end£61,225175 accounts£44,806
Typical number of employees2175 accounts2

What this means if you’re starting one

London has fewer of these businesses than most places

Optician companies are 0.03% of companies registered in London, against 0.07% UK-wide (0.4× the national share).

That could be a gap or a sign of weak demand. The register cannot tell which.

You will be up against established operators

20% of the 302 optician companies in London were formed in 2025–26, against 28% of all companies in London. Nationally, that share of new companies is lower than 82% of UK industries.

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

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical optician company in London reports 2 employees; the top quarter has 4 or more (175 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 London?

Answer two questions about your customer and what makes you different, and get a free three-week plan to test the idea before you spend real money. No account or card.

Check my idea

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.

Optician in other places

Other businesses in London

All business benchmarks in London