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Pub or bar companies in Bristol

556 pub or bar companies have a registered office in Bristol, and 146 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £24,618 in cash and owed £71,012 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).

The numbers

Pub or bar companies in Bristol compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureBristolUK
Registered companies55633,937
Formed in 2025 or 2026146 (26%)26%
Being struck off or in liquidation79 (14%)19%
Typical cash at year end£24,618178 accounts£20,671
Typical amount owed at year end£71,012292 accounts£54,849
Typical number of employees8295 accounts5

What this means if you’re starting one

More of these companies are closing than in most trades

10% of pub or bar companies in Bristol are currently being struck off, against 5.8% 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.

Cash is tight in this trade

At year end the typical pub or bar company in Bristol holds £24,618 in cash and owes £71,012; that cash figure is lower than 59% 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

26% of the 556 pub or bar companies in Bristol were formed in 2025–26, against 18% of all companies in Bristol.

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.

Planning a business like this in Bristol?

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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 Bristol

All business benchmarks in Bristol