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Takeaway and street food companies in London

9,172 takeaway and street food companies have a registered office in London, and 3,640 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £6,039 in cash and owed £16,137 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Take-away food shops and mobile food stands” (SIC 56103), which also covers food truck or street food stall, sandwich shop, ice cream parlour.

The numbers

Takeaway and street food companies in London compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureLondonUK
Registered companies9,17272,295
Formed in 2025 or 20263,640 (40%)39%
Being struck off or in liquidation1,653 (18%)18%
Typical cash at year end£6,0391,082 accounts£6,223
Typical amount owed at year end£16,1373,360 accounts£14,128
Typical number of employees23,455 accounts3

What this means if you’re starting one

Cash is tight in this trade

At year end the typical takeaway and street food company in London holds £6,039 in cash and owes £16,137; that cash figure is lower than 95% 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

17% of takeaway and street food companies in London are currently being struck off, against 6.9% of all companies there. Nationally that rate is higher than 98% 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 takeaway and street food company in London reports 2 employees; the top quarter has 4 or more (3,455 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.

Takeaway and street food in other places

Other businesses in London

All business benchmarks in London