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Painter and decorator companies in the Reading area

134 painter and decorator companies have a registered office in the Reading area (RG postcodes), and 25 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £6,864 in cash and owed £12,223 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). Covers companies with a registered office in RG postcodes, including Reading, Basingstoke, Newbury.

The numbers

Painter and decorator companies in the Reading area (RG postcodes) compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureReadingUK
Registered companies13412,501
Formed in 2025 or 202625 (19%)24%
Being struck off or in liquidation9 (6.7%)12%
Typical cash at year end£6,86435 accounts£11,567
Typical amount owed at year end£12,22383 accounts£13,910
Typical number of employees187 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 the Reading area (RG postcodes) holds £6,864 in cash and owes £12,223; 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.

More of these companies are closing than in most trades

6.7% of painter and decorator companies in the Reading area (RG postcodes) are currently being struck off, against 5.6% of all companies there. Nationally that rate is higher than 82% of UK industries.

Closures run high here. It is a churn signal, not a survival rate, but it means the common failure points are worth learning before you start.

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical painter and decorator company in the Reading area (RG postcodes) reports 1 employee; the top quarter has 2 or more (87 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.

Painter and decorator in other places

Other businesses in Reading

All business benchmarks in Reading