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Pub or bar companies in the Preston area

447 pub or bar companies have a registered office in the Preston area (PR postcodes), and 106 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £14,319 in cash and owed £45,273 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 PR postcodes, including Preston, Southport.

The numbers

Pub or bar companies in the Preston area (PR postcodes) compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasurePrestonUK
Registered companies44733,937
Formed in 2025 or 2026106 (24%)26%
Being struck off or in liquidation146 (33%)19%
Typical cash at year end£14,31980 accounts£20,671
Typical amount owed at year end£45,273177 accounts£54,849
Typical number of employees5183 accounts5

What this means if you’re starting one

More of these companies are closing than in most trades

16% of pub or bar companies in the Preston area (PR postcodes) are currently being struck off, against 6.9% 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.

the Preston area (PR postcodes) already has more of these businesses than most places

Pub or bar companies are 1.1% of companies registered in the Preston area (PR postcodes), against 0.62% UK-wide (1.8× the national share).

Demand here is proven, but so is choice. Customers can compare you with several nearby options.

Cash is tight in this trade

At year end the typical pub or bar company in the Preston area (PR postcodes) holds £14,319 in cash and owes £45,273; 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.

Planning a business like this in Preston?

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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 Preston

All business benchmarks in Preston