Top Retail Companies in the UK
There are 436,623 retail companies in the UK. This page breaks that total down the way a list actually gets built — by sub-industry, by location, and by company size — so you can see how big the addressable slice is before you commit budget to a campaign.
Leading retail companies
Ranked by employee band. Companies House does not publish revenue, and its employee figures are unreliable, so bands come from verified company profiles.
| # | Company | Website | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesco | tescoplc.com | 10,000+ |
| 2 | Marks and Spencer | marksandspencer.com | 10,000+ |
| 3 | ASOS.com | asos.com | 1,001–5,000 |
| 4 | Sainsbury's | sainsburys.jobs | 10,000+ |
| 5 | Next | next.co.uk | 10,000+ |
| 6 | Asda | asda.jobs | 10,000+ |
| 7 | John Lewis & Partners | jlpjobs.com | 10,000+ |
| 8 | Gymshark | gymshark.com | 1,001–5,000 |
| 9 | Aldi UK | aldirecruitment.co.uk | 10,000+ |
| 10 | Boots UK | boots.jobs | 10,000+ |
| 11 | Selfridges | selfridges.com | 1,001–5,000 |
| 12 | Morrisons | morrisons.jobs | 10,000+ |
| 13 | Harrods | harrodscareers.com | 1,001–5,000 |
| 14 | COS | cosstores.com | 5,001–10,000 |
| 15 | Lidl GB | lidlcareers.co.uk | 10,000+ |
| 16 | Costa Coffee | costa.co.uk | 10,000+ |
| 17 | JD Sports Fashion | jdplc.com | 10,000+ |
| 18 | THG | thg.com | 1,001–5,000 |
| 19 | The Body Shop | thebodyshopcareers.com | 10,000+ |
| 20 | Co-op | coop.co.uk | 10,000+ |
| 21 | Stella McCartney | stellamccartney.com | 501–1,000 |
| 22 | NET-A-PORTER | net-a-porter.com | 1,001–5,000 |
| 23 | Frasers Group | frasers.group | 10,000+ |
| 24 | TOPSHOP TOPMAN | orkday.com | 5,001–10,000 |
| 25 | British Fashion Council | britishfashioncouncil.co.uk | 11–50 |
| 26 | Liberty. | libertylondon.com | 501–1,000 |
| 27 | River Island | riverisland.com | 5,001–10,000 |
| 28 | Specsavers | specsavers.com | 10,000+ |
| 29 | B&M Retail | bmstores.co.uk | 10,000+ |
| 30 | Superdrug | superdrug.com | 10,000+ |
| 31 | Dr. Martens plc | drmartens.com | 1,001–5,000 |
| 32 | Urban Outfitters Europe | urbanoutfitters.com | 1,001–5,000 |
| 33 | Boohoo Group PLC | boohoogroup.com | 5,001–10,000 |
| 34 | New Look | newlookgroup.com | 10,000+ |
| 35 | Harvey Nichols | harveynichols.com | 1,001–5,000 |
| 36 | Pret A Manger | pret.co.uk | 10,000+ |
| 37 | The White Company | thewhitecompany.com | 1,001–5,000 |
| 38 | Ted Baker | tedbaker.com | 1,001–5,000 |
| 39 | Sweaty Betty | sweatybetty.com | 1,001–5,000 |
| 40 | Currys plc | currysplc.com | 5,001–10,000 |
| 41 | ghd | ghdhair.com | 501–1,000 |
| 42 | Debenhams | debenhams.com | 201–500 |
| 43 | PrettyLittleThing.com | plt.shop | 201–500 |
| 44 | Clarks | clarks.com | 10,000+ |
| 45 | MATCHES | matchesfashion.com | 501–1,000 |
| 46 | The Very Group | theverygroup.jobs | 1,001–5,000 |
| 47 | Driffle | driffle.com | 11–50 |
| 48 | Kingfisher plc | kingfisher.com | 10,000+ |
| 49 | Iceland Foods | icelandcareers.co.uk | 10,000+ |
| 50 | Superdry | superdry.com | 1,001–5,000 |
Need the full list with verified decision-maker contacts? Book a meeting.
The largest sub-industry is retail sale via mail order houses or via internet with 160,329 companies, which is where most retail outbound in the UK ends up pointed. The tail below it is usually less contested and worth a separate sequence.
Geographically it concentrates in London (99,433 companies), followed by Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow. If your reps work by territory, that split is the fastest way to divide the list.
By headcount, 64,544 are micro companies of 1–9 people and 5,837 sit in the 10–249 range — usually the sweet spot for outbound, since they are large enough to have a budget holder and small enough that the decision maker answers.
Retail by sub-industry
| Sub-industry | Companies |
|---|---|
| Retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet | 160,329 |
| Other retail sale not in stores, stalls or markets | 37,831 |
| Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating | 35,791 |
| Other retail sale in non-specialised stores | 33,663 |
| Retail sale of clothing in specialised stores | 24,955 |
| Other retail sale of new goods in specialised stores (not commercial art galleries and opticians) | 11,225 |
| Retail of furniture, lighting, and similar (not musical instruments or scores) in specialised store | 8,817 |
| Retail sale of sports goods, fishing gear, camping goods, boats and bicycles | 8,611 |
| Other retail sale of food in specialised stores | 8,593 |
| Dispensing chemist in specialised stores | 7,739 |
Where retail companies are based
| City | Companies |
|---|---|
| London | 99,433 |
| Manchester | 12,704 |
| Birmingham | 11,035 |
| Glasgow | 6,821 |
| Cardiff | 6,682 |
| Leicester | 4,814 |
| Ilford | 4,048 |
| Leeds | 3,912 |
| Liverpool | 3,802 |
| Nottingham | 3,633 |
Retail by company size
| Employees | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1–9 | 64,544 |
| 10–49 | 5,428 |
| 50–249 | 409 |
| 250–999 | 34 |
| 1,000+ | 14 |
Headcount is published for 106,534 of these companies; the rest are in the database without a size band.
Frequently asked questions
How many retail companies are there in the UK?
Our data covers 436,623 retail companies in the UK, sourced from Companies House and refreshed continuously.
Can I get decision-maker contacts for retail companies?
Yes. Every company record can be paired with verified decision-maker contacts — names, job titles, verified email addresses and direct phone numbers. Book a meeting and we will scope the list against your ICP.
How is the retail segment defined?
Companies are classified using official industry codes from the business register, not keyword guesses on company names, so the segment boundaries match what the company actually registered as.