Guides for sales and business development
Plain-English guides to UK company rules and checks: what a company's status means, what it has to file and when, and what to check before you trade with it, lend to it or take it on as a client.
- How to find a competitor's turnover in the UKHow-to
Find the competitor's legal entity on Companies House and open its latest accounts. Medium-sized and large companies must file a profit and loss account, so turnover is there. Most small and micro companies leave it out, so estimate it from employee numbers, trade debtors and any parent's group accounts, and check modern slavery statements and public contract awards.
- How to find UK companies by turnover (and why most do not publish it)How-to
You can only filter UK companies on turnover they have actually filed. Medium-sized and large companies must file a profit and loss account, but small and micro companies may leave it out, so only 1.8% of recent company accounts disclose turnover (CompanyStack, 3 October 2026). For everyone else, screen on accounts type, employees and balance sheet figures instead.
- Using new company incorporations to find clients and prospectsHow-to
Companies House's free advanced search filters by incorporation date, SIC code, status and type and downloads up to 5,000 results as CSV. Between 51,221 and 75,054 companies were formed each month over the past year (CompanyStack, 3 October 2026). PECR lets you email companies without consent if you identify yourself and offer an opt-out; UK GDPR still protects named individuals.
- New UK companies in 2026: what is being set up, by sector and nationData study
761,595 companies incorporated in the 12 months to 3 October 2026 were still active on that date, CompanyStack's analysis of the Companies House register shows. Online and mail-order retail (SIC 47910) was the most common activity, with 55,718 new companies. Information and communication rose most of the main sectors, up 29.0% on our count; real estate fell 8.6%.
- Companies House bulk data products explainedGuide
Companies House publishes three free bulk downloads: a monthly CSV snapshot of every live company (the Free Company Data Product), daily and monthly files of electronically filed accounts in iXBRL and XBRL (the Accounts Data Product, archived back to 2008), and a daily JSON snapshot of people with significant control. Officer data is not offered as a free download.
- How to check if a UK company is legitimate (and spot a scam)How-to
Find the company on the Companies House register by its number and confirm it is active, then check that the details you were given match: name, registered office, directors, incorporation date and business. Verify any VAT number with HMRC, check the FCA register for financial services, and treat new companies, mismatches and default addresses as warning signs.
- How to find and read a UK company's accountsHow-to
Search the company on Companies House's free Find and update company information service, open the Filing history tab, tick the Accounts filter and click View PDF on the latest set. Electronic filings also offer Download iXBRL. Most small companies file only a balance sheet and notes, so turnover and profit are often missing.
CompanyStack for sales and business development
What the web app and the API do for you, on which plan, with real samples.