Food Service Companies in Nottingham: 864 Active Firms (2026)
Food service companies prepare and sell meals, drinks and catering services to consumers and organisations across Nottingham.
Local consumer demand, employer catering and venue-led hospitality set much of the buying pattern here. Operators sell through a mix of walk-in service, pre-booked events, workplace dining and delivery, so the commercial motion ranges from low-ticket daily transactions to larger catering contracts with staffing, logistics and food-safety requirements attached. Multi-site restaurant and cafe groups sit alongside independents, takeaway kitchens and specialist caterers. For researchers, the most relevant markers are operating footprint, repeat local demand, front-of-house capacity and the ability to serve commuters, venues, employers and public-sector sites without turning the business into a pure food manufacturing operation.
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Nottingham has 864 actively trading food service companies, making this a sizeable local cohort rather than a narrow list of city-centre venues. The market is likely to include restaurants, cafes, takeaway outlets, contract caterers and event-led hospitality operators serving neighbourhood, commuter and workplace demand. Reported employment across the cohort is 1,842 people, which points to a labour-intensive sector even where many businesses remain small in legal or financial terms. The practical footprint is therefore larger than turnover alone would suggest, because kitchens, service teams, delivery handling and event staffing all create recurring operational capacity.
Food service operators preparing meals for the public must manage food-hygiene registration, inspections, allergen controls and traceability duties. Premises that serve alcohol, offer late-night refreshment or host events face licensing conditions as well as planning, waste, fire-safety and employment obligations. Market structure is also shaped by landlords, delivery-platform economics, staff availability and input-cost exposure, especially for businesses with fresh-food purchasing and variable footfall. Nottingham’s mix of neighbourhood trading, commuter demand and venue-based catering means compliance work tends to sit close to day-to-day operations rather than in a separate regulatory function.
A relatively young tail of operators suggests continued churn at the small-business end, while only a limited group appears to have moved into higher-turnover territory. Scale in this sector tends to come from repeat sites, contract catering relationships, delivery capacity and disciplined staffing rather than from a single technical moat. Margin pressure has been a persistent theme where rent, labour and food costs move faster than menu pricing. Consolidation may therefore remain selective, with better-capitalised groups adding sites cautiously and smaller operators adapting formats, opening hours and catering offers to match local demand.
What’s in the file
One row per company, 50+ columns — everything below plus each company’s verified directors, from Companies House filings.
Company data
Verified directors — included
864
Active firms
2026
7
Firms above £5M
Reported revenue
338
Newer incorporations
Since 2022
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Key facts
About 1% of the trading cohort reports turnover above £5M (7 of 864 firms) — the rest sits below that revenue band.
39% of the cohort was incorporated since 2022 (338 firms), so a sizeable share is in its first few filing cycles.
Nottingham food service firms cover consumer meal and drink sales as well as catering services for organisations.
The segment spans operating restaurants, catering groups and holding or management entities, so procurement signals differ by structure.
Local hospitality demand, labour exposure and supplier relationships are the main lenses for reading this market.
B2B targeting needs to separate trading outlets from management entities, as the likely buying need is not the same.
Top Nottingham Food Service companies
Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsOperates steakhouse restaurants serving prime beef steaks, ribs, burgers, pasta and other dishes. Offers dine‑in lunch and dinner menus, gift vouchers, and hosts live music and DJ events themed…
Serves local consumers and visitors in Nottingham and Chesterfield, including diners, families, groups, gift voucher buyers, and attendees of soul and Motown-themed events.
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · Hiring · 5% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsOperates public houses and restaurant pubs offering food and alcoholic and non‑alcoholic drinks. Manages venues including Larwood & Voce and The Wollaton, providing dining, bar service, and…
Serves consumers in Nottingham, including local diners, pub-goers and visitors looking for restaurant and public house venues in West Bridgford and Wollaton.
Financial Health
StableStable · -3% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Operates a group of hospitality and entertainment venues including bars, restaurants, nightclubs and event spaces. Venues provide food, cocktails, arcade games, live music and performance areas, and…
Sells primarily to consumers seeking nightlife, social dining, drinks, entertainment and events, including groups of friends, brunch-goers, arcade users, music audiences and private event attendees…
Financial Health
N/AN/A
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsOperates fish and chip restaurants serving freshly cooked seafood, including cod, haddock and other fish species. Offers dine‑in and takeaway meals, online ordering, and a menu of fried fish, chips,…
Serves B2C consumers, families and local diners ordering eat-in, takeaway or delivery across its Nottingham-area and Harborne locations, including customers seeking seafood-focused casual meals.
Financial Health
DistressedDistressed · -23% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Operates a Turkish restaurant serving traditional dishes and grilled meats in a casual dining setting. Provides dine-in meals as well as takeaway and online ordering for collection.
Serves consumers in Nottingham, including local diners and collection customers seeking a casual Turkish restaurant experience.
Financial Health
N/AN/A
Location
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Computed from 3 filingsOperates a restaurant serving Persian cuisine including grilled meats, stews, rice dishes and desserts. Offers dine-in meals as well as takeaway and delivery orders, with reservations and a wine menu…
Serves consumers in Nottingham city centre, including diners seeking Persian and halal meals, plus takeaway and delivery customers ordering lunch or dinner.
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · Hiring · 80% CAGR over 2y
Location
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Computed from 2 filingsOperates an Italian and seafood restaurant and bar serving traditional Italian dishes. Offers dine‑in meals, fixed‑price menus, takeaway collection, table bookings, and gift cards for dining…
Serves B2C customers in Nottingham and Upper Saxondale, including couples, families, groups and gift-card buyers looking for Italian and seafood restaurant bookings, fixed-price meals, occasions and…
Financial Health
WeakWeak · Hiring · 23% CAGR over 1y
Location
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Computed from 4 filingsOperates a café, bar and restaurant serving modern British food and drinks. Offers daytime and evening dining with menus including tapas, and provides table bookings and event dining services.
Serves local consumers in Radcliffe on Trent and nearby Nottingham areas, including café visitors, diners, evening bar customers, couples, families and groups booking tables or events.
Financial Health
WeakWeak
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsOperates a café and healthy food service preparing nutritionally balanced meals such as toasts, rice dishes and other ready‑to‑eat options. Provides takeaway, click‑and‑collect and catering services,…
Serves B2C customers in Nottingham, including students, office workers, gym-goers, health-conscious diners and foodies, plus local customers seeking café dining, takeaway, click-and-collect and…
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · Hiring · 11% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsOperates a fine-dining restaurant serving seasonal modern British tasting menus, with private dining spaces and a wine lounge. Also provides overnight guest rooms, dining packages, gift vouchers, and…
Serves consumers seeking fine-dining tasting menus, wine experiences and overnight restaurant-with-rooms stays, including destination diners, couples celebrating special occasions and buyers of gift…
Financial Health
StableStable · -4% CAGR over 5y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsOperates a public house with an on-site microbrewery producing beers and ales. Serves pub food and a range of drinks, and hosts live music, club nights, and private events across multiple indoor and…
Serves consumers in Nottingham, including pub-goers, diners, craft beer drinkers, live music audiences, dog owners, and groups booking private functions or event spaces.
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · Hiring · 2% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsOperates a tapas restaurant serving Spanish-style small plates and sharing dishes alongside wine, cocktails and other drinks. Offers dine‑in service with table bookings, set menus and specials, with…
Sells to consumers seeking casual dine-in tapas in Nottingham, including small walk-in groups, larger party bookings of 6+, and local diners interested in all-day restaurant experiences, drinks and…
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · Growing · 0% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsOperates a board game café serving vegan food and drinks while providing access to a large library of board, card and tabletop games. Hosts gaming events and sells board games through an in‑store and…
Serves consumers in Nottingham, including board-game and tabletop-gaming enthusiasts, event attendees, vegan café customers, dog owners, and local shoppers buying games for collection or delivery.
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · Hiring · 22% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 2 filingsOperates a lounge restaurant and nightlife venue serving prepared food, cocktails and other drinks, and offering shisha. Hosts live DJ entertainment and provides table reservations for dining, social…
Serves consumers in Nottingham seeking dining, cocktails, shisha and nightlife, including casual diners, groups booking parties, and late-night drinkers.
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Hiring · 36% CAGR over 1y
Location
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Operates a restaurant, bar and shisha lounge offering Mediterranean-inspired dishes, cocktails and other beverages. Provides lounge space for socialising and offers venue hire for private events,…
Serves consumers seeking Mediterranean dining, drinks and shisha in Nottingham, plus groups booking birthdays, engagements, corporate gatherings and other private events.
Financial Health
N/AN/A
Location
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Computed from 4 filingsOperates a Japanese restaurant serving izakaya-style dishes including kushiyaki grilled skewers, snacks, small plates and desserts. Offers dine-in dining with a bar serving Japanese beers, sake,…
Serves consumers in Nottingham, including lunch and dinner diners, walk-ins, drinks-only visitors and larger groups seeking private dining at a Japanese restaurant and bar.
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Growing, Hiring · 9% CAGR over 3y
Location
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Computed from 4 filingsOperates a Vietnamese restaurant serving traditional dishes and street food, including pho, grilled meats, fried rice, noodles, and spring rolls. Provides dine‑in meals as well as takeaway and…
Serves consumers in Nottingham city centre, including casual diners, groups making table reservations, takeaway and delivery customers, and gift card buyers seeking Vietnamese restaurant meals and…
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Hiring · 4% CAGR over 3y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsOperates a gourmet burger restaurant serving handcrafted burgers, house-made sauces and takeaway food. Also produces and sells branded seasoning rubs, spice blends and sauces for home cooking through…
Serves local consumers seeking dine-in or takeaway burgers in Nottingham, plus home cooks and barbecue enthusiasts buying rubs, sauces, spices and gift cards online.
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · Hiring · 12% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 4 filingsOperates a restaurant and tea lounge serving traditional English meals, afternoon tea and cream tea. Offers breakfast, brunch, lunch and evening dishes including pies, quiche, roasts, desserts and…
Serves consumers in Nottingham, including diners seeking afternoon tea, cream tea, breakfast, brunch, lunch and evening meals, plus theatre and cinema-goers looking for pre-theatre dining.
Financial Health
StrongStrong
Location
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Computed from 3 filingsOperates a traditional pub and restaurant serving meals, bar food, beers, wines, spirits and gin selections. Provides dine-in service, children’s menu, lounge and bar areas, and broadcasts live…
Serves consumers in and around Elston, including local residents, diners, families with children, dog owners, pub-goers and live sports viewers seeking a village pub and restaurant.
Financial Health
DistressedDistressed · -45% CAGR over 2y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
HealthyHealthy · -69% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Financial Health
N/AN/A
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Computed from 2 filingsFinancial Health
HealthyHealthy · Profitable · 0% CAGR over 1y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsOperates a private dining venue offering chef-led dining experiences and event bookings. Provides exclusive hire for parties and corporate events, with chefs preparing multi-course menus in an open…
Serves consumers booking private dining for special occasions and businesses arranging corporate or team-building events, particularly groups of 12–24 seeking exclusive dining experiences in…
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · 0% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsOperates a bar serving craft beer, coffee and food. Offers around fifteen draft taps and bottled or canned beers for on-site consumption or takeaway, alongside a food menu and daily opening hours.
Serves local consumers in Nottingham, including craft beer drinkers, coffee customers, and people seeking casual food and drinks for on-site visits or takeaway.
Financial Health
StableStable · Hiring · 14% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsOperates a street food catering service specialising in grilled cheese toasties made with sourdough bread and blended cheeses. Provides food stalls and catering for weddings, parties, corporate…
Serves private customers planning weddings, parties and celebrations, plus businesses and event organisers seeking street-food catering for corporate and special events.
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Hiring · 9% CAGR over 5y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsOperates a live music venue hosting jazz, blues, soul, funk and world music performances, alongside a bar and kitchen serving a Middle Eastern‑inspired menu. Organises ticketed events, artist…
Serves consumers attending live jazz, blues, soul, folk and world music events with dining, plus members and private-hire customers planning events.
Financial Health
StableStable · Hiring · 4% CAGR over 5y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
HealthyHealthy · Hiring · 7% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 4 filingsFinancial Health
StableStable · Hiring · 19% CAGR over 3y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
StableStable · Hiring · 15% CAGR over 5y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
WeakWeak · -4% CAGR over 5y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
StrongStrong · Growing, Hiring · 3% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 3 filingsOperates an events and conference venue offering rooms for corporate meetings, conferences, weddings and private celebrations. Provides event space hire, audio‑visual facilities, catering options,…
Serves businesses, event organisers, couples, families and private customers planning conferences, meetings, weddings, celebrations and restaurant visits, with a focus on local and regional events in…
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · Hiring · 7% CAGR over 2y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsOperates a delicatessen offering made-to-order sandwiches, deli meats and takeaway foods. Provides catering for events and sells prepared freezer meals such as lasagna, shepherd’s pie, macaroni and…
Serves consumers visiting or ordering pickup from a walk-in deli, and individuals, families or organisations seeking catering for events.
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · Hiring · 17% CAGR over 5y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
StrongStrong · 19% CAGR over 3y
Location
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Financial Health
N/AN/A
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
HealthyHealthy · 0% CAGR over 3y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
StrongStrong · Growing · 0% CAGR over 4y
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Computed from 2 filingsFinancial Health
WeakWeak · Hiring · 1403% CAGR over 1y
Location
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Computed from 3 filingsProvides event catering and event planning services, preparing bespoke menus and food service for weddings, parties, corporate functions, festivals and private dining. Offers canapés, buffets, plated…
Serves a mix of consumers and businesses, including wedding couples, private party hosts, corporate event organisers, offices, festival organisers and clients planning at-home dining or outdoor…
Financial Health
StableStable · Hiring · 53% CAGR over 2y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsOperates a members’ social club offering a bar with guest ales and gin selection, hosting sports teams for football, snooker, darts and dominoes, and providing venue hire with catering for events…
Serves adults in the local community, including club members, first-time non-member visitors, sports team participants, live entertainment audiences, and people arranging catered functions.
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Hiring · 22% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsRoasts and sells specialty coffee and tea sourced from global estates. Supplies coffee products, pods and blends through an online shop and provides coffee programmes for hospitality, office and food…
Serves consumers buying coffee and tea online, plus B2B buyers in hospitality, office coffee programmes and food service.
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Growing, Hiring · 4% CAGR over 5y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
WeakWeak · Hiring · 4% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
HealthyHealthy · -66% CAGR over 4y
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
WeakWeak · -10% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
DistressedDistressed
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
WeakWeak · -68% CAGR over 4y
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
StrongStrong · Growing, Hiring · 11% CAGR over 4y
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
WeakWeak · -6% CAGR over 4y
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Computed from 4 filingsOperates a pub and bar offering a selection of real ales, craft beers and spirits. Provides on-site drinks service and maintains a venue for social drinking and hospitality.
Serves local consumers and visitors in Nottingham looking for an independent pub/bar, particularly drinkers of real ales, craft beer and spirits.
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · Hiring · 100% CAGR over 3y
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How Nottingham Food Service companies work and how to sell to them
What they do
Food service companies in Nottingham earn revenue through a mixture of menu sales, takeaway orders, delivery commissions, pre-booked catering and recurring workplace or venue contracts. Pricing is usually tied to the occasion: individual meals and drinks for walk-in trade, per-head menus for events, minimum spends for private hire, and contracted service fees where staffing and logistics are included. The product is not just food preparation; it combines kitchen capacity, front-of-house labour, ordering workflows, local fulfilment and compliance processes. A smaller group has the operating discipline to run multiple sites or recurring institutional work, while most operators remain exposed to weekly demand patterns and input costs.
Who they sell to
Most operators sell directly to local consumers for day-to-day trade, then separately to employers, venues and public-sector sites when they have catering or workplace dining capability. Consumer decisions are immediate and price-sensitive, while business buyers tend to involve office managers, facilities teams, venue managers, procurement staff or event organisers. Small orders usually convert through walk-in, telephone, web or delivery channels; larger catering work is more likely to move through repeat relationships, referrals, tasting sessions, framework-style procurement or tender processes. Sales cycles therefore range from same-day purchase to several weeks where menus, staffing, service levels and dietary controls need approval.
What they buy
Food service firms tend to spend on systems and services that protect margin, reduce service friction and keep inspections manageable. Common categories include EPOS, payments, booking tools, stock control, supplier ordering, rota planning, payroll, accounting, allergen management, food-safety documentation and customer messaging. Operators with delivery or catering work may also buy route planning, packaging, refrigeration maintenance, kitchen equipment servicing, waste collection, insurance and temporary staffing. Marketing spend is usually local and performance-led, covering search visibility, reviews, social advertising and loyalty activity. Multi-site operators are more likely to value reporting across locations, standardised purchasing and controls that reduce leakage between kitchen, till and finance processes.
Why and how to sell to them
Nottingham food service buyers tend to evaluate vendors when trading complexity changes: a new site, longer opening hours, a catering contract, delivery expansion, a kitchen refit, a failed inspection, or a finance hire trying to tighten reporting. Margin pressure gives sellers a practical angle, but claims need to connect to labour scheduling, waste reduction, basket size, compliance workload or supplier pricing rather than general efficiency language. The most credible outreach usually references the operating model: walk-in venues need throughput and reviews; caterers need scheduling and traceability; workplace dining teams need contract discipline. Only 7 companies in the local cohort are above £5M revenue, so many pitches should assume owner-led buying rather than layered procurement.
How this list is built
Data sources
This list is built from UK Companies House filings, XBRL accounts data, and semantic analysis of each company's public website. Revenue and headcount figures come from the most recent filed accounts; where the company has not filed, values are estimated using a model trained on filed history and peer benchmarks and are labelled as estimates.
Classification
Rather than relying solely on SIC codes, Firmbase classifies each company semantically: the company's website is crawled, an AI model reads what the company actually sells, and the company is placed into the relevant industry and subsectors. SIC codes are used as one signal but not the only one. This means a company that registered under a generic SIC code but pivoted into (for example) fintech is correctly identified as fintech, not as its original SIC category.
Freshness
The underlying company data is refreshed from Companies House continuously; filings appear in the list within days of submission. The curated list ordering is regenerated when the underlying data moves meaningfully (company count changes by more than 5%, a new company enters the top-ranked segment, or the filed-revenue numbers for the top firms change). You can see the last-updated timestamp near the top of the page.
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