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Pub or bar companies in the Belfast area

597 pub or bar companies have a registered office in the Belfast area (BT postcodes), and 79 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £70,068 in cash and owed £98,579 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Public houses and bars” (SIC 56302). Covers companies with a registered office in BT postcodes, including Belfast, Derry, Londonderry, Lisburn.

The numbers

Pub or bar companies in the Belfast area (BT postcodes) compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureBelfastUK
Registered companies59733,937
Formed in 2025 or 202679 (13%)26%
Being struck off or in liquidation77 (13%)19%
Typical cash at year end£70,068159 accounts£20,671
Typical amount owed at year end£98,579314 accounts£54,849
Typical number of employees4347 accounts5

What this means if you’re starting one

More of these companies are closing than in most trades

5.2% of pub or bar companies in the Belfast area (BT postcodes) are currently being struck off, against 5.2% of all companies there. Nationally that rate is higher than 96% 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.

You will be up against established operators

13% of the 597 pub or bar companies in the Belfast area (BT postcodes) were formed in 2025–26, against 19% of all companies in the Belfast area (BT postcodes).

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

Planning a business like this in Belfast?

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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.

Pub or bar in other places

Other businesses in Belfast

All business benchmarks in Belfast