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Publishing companies in Manchester

226 publishing companies have a registered office in Manchester, and 49 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £20,809 in cash and owed £8,928 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Other publishing activities” (SIC 58190).

The numbers

Publishing companies in Manchester compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureManchesterUK
Registered companies22613,019
Formed in 2025 or 202649 (22%)23%
Being struck off or in liquidation25 (11%)7.8%
Typical cash at year end£20,80936 accounts£14,124
Typical amount owed at year end£8,928103 accounts£12,487
Typical number of employees1112 accounts1

What this means if you’re starting one

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical publishing company in Manchester reports 1 employee; the top quarter has 2 or more (112 filings).

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

You can start without much equipment

The typical publishing company in Manchester carries £1,562 of equipment and other fixed assets after depreciation, lower than 96% of UK industries.

Most of the cost of entry is time and running costs rather than kit, so a small test is cheap.

Businesses in this trade usually keep a cash buffer

At year end the typical publishing company in Manchester holds £20,809 in cash and owes £8,928; that cash figure is lower than 75% of UK industries.

Typical operators end the year holding more cash than they owe, so there is usually some slack for a slow month.

Planning a business like this in Manchester?

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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.

Publishing in other places

Other businesses in Manchester

All business benchmarks in Manchester