BenchmarklyAll benchmarks

Painter and decorator companies in London

1,587 painter and decorator companies have a registered office in London, and 527 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £5,020 in cash and owed £6,898 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Painting” (SIC 43341).

The numbers

Painter and decorator companies in London compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureLondonUK
Registered companies1,58712,501
Formed in 2025 or 2026527 (33%)24%
Being struck off or in liquidation205 (13%)12%
Typical cash at year end£5,020256 accounts£11,567
Typical amount owed at year end£6,898736 accounts£13,910
Typical number of employees1768 accounts1

What this means if you’re starting one

Cash is tight in this trade

At year end the typical painter and decorator company in London holds £5,020 in cash and owes £6,898; that cash figure is lower than 80% 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 painter and decorator company in London reports 1 employee; the top quarter has 2 or more (768 filings).

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

London has fewer of these businesses than most places

Painter and decorator companies are 0.14% of companies registered in London, against 0.23% UK-wide (0.6× the national share).

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

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.

Painter and decorator in other places

Other businesses in London

All business benchmarks in London