The Owner Census, October 2026

The Owner Census

Name: The Owner Census, October 2026
License: Free to quote with credit to JTM Census

4,810 UK companies with 10 to 100 staff, and 30,896 with 1 to 9, have a controlling owner aged 60 or over and no current director or individual owner under 50. Measured from the public Companies House register, figures as at October 2026. Free to quote with credit to JTM Census.

How many UK companies have no successor in place?

Of 414,601 active companies in 27 industrial and service sectors, 7,895 with 10 to 100 staff have a controlling owner aged 60 or over. 4,810 of those also have no current director or individual owner under 50, and 1,706 of those 4,810 are growing their headcount. Among companies with 1 to 9 staff the figures are 37,990, 30,896 and 2,605.

Companies meeting each stage of the test, by size bandActive UK companies in 27 industrial and service sectors. Figures as at October 2026.
Size band	Owner 60 or over	No one under 50 in place	Of those, headcount growing
10 to 100 staff	7,895	4,810	1,706
1 to 9 staff	37,990	30,896	2,605

Which sectors?

Fabricated metal products has the largest count at 10 to 100 staff, with 663 companies meeting the test, followed by haulage, removals and warehousing with 572 and food and drink manufacture with 436. At 1 to 9 staff the largest is haulage, removals and warehousing with 4,486, then motor vehicle repair with 4,085 and machinery repair and installation with 3,610.

Companies with no one under 50 in place, by sectorA controlling owner aged 60 or over, and no current director or individual owner under 50. October 2026.
Sector	10 to 100 staff	1 to 9 staff
Fabricated metal products	663	2,311
Haulage, removals and warehousing	572	4,486
Food and drink manufacture	436	1,206
Motor vehicle repair	416	4,085
Commercial cleaning	304	1,312
Industrial and building wholesale	293	1,962
Machinery repair and installation	280	3,610
Machinery manufacture	261	957
Plastics and rubber products	181	514
Waste and recycling	159	593
Furniture manufacture	137	802
Lifts and other building installation	136	2,159
Timber and joinery	135	719
Grounds maintenance and landscaping	112	1,273
Electrical equipment manufacture	107	566
Chemicals manufacture	100	352
Concrete, glass and stone products	95	391
Security guarding	93	478
Plant and generator hire	87	789
Security and fire systems servicing	57	530
Laundry and linen hire	44	403
Facilities management	41	410
Paper and corrugated packaging	38	84
Testing and inspection	30	563
Drainage and sewer services	21	90
Pest control and hygiene	under 10	107
Power and telecoms infrastructure	under 10	144

Which regions?

The South East has the largest count at 10 to 100 staff, with 673 companies meeting the test, then the North West with 566 and the South West with 501. Region is taken from the registered office, so London's 448 is inflated by companies registered at their accountant's address. The region figures leave out companies whose registered postcode couldn't be placed: 26 at 10 to 100 staff and 157 at 1 to 9.

Companies with no one under 50 in place, by region of registered officeRegion is taken from the registered office. October 2026.
Region	10 to 100 staff	1 to 9 staff
South East	673	4,499
North West	566	3,518
South West	501	2,934
West Midlands	468	3,079
Yorkshire and the Humber	467	2,794
London	448	3,979
East of England	435	3,267
East Midlands	333	2,207
Scotland	333	1,694
Wales	242	1,353
North East	173	914
Northern Ireland	145	501
Leaves out companies whose registered postcode couldn't be placed: 26 at 10 to 100 staff and 157 at 1 to 9.

Which suppliers have the capability?

In a first read of 320 company websites, all independent metal, electrical and machinery makers with 10 to 100 staff, 95 were capable and independent. 67 already serve a growth market and 28 have the machines and certificates but don't yet. Capable means a score of 2 or more on a 0 to 3 scale, judged from the company's own website.

Supplier capability, first readIndependent metal, electrical and machinery makers with 10 to 100 staff.
Measure	Companies
Company websites read	320
Capable and independent	95
Already in a growth market	67
Capable but not yet in one	28

By market: data centres 42, defence 33, grid 27, batteries and EV 23, rail 18, water 12, nuclear 11, wind 11 and heat 8. One company can count in several markets.

Capable companies by marketCapable means a score of 2 or more on a 0 to 3 scale. One company can count in several markets.
Market	Capable companies
Data centres	42
Defence	33
Grid	27
Batteries and EV	23
Rail	18
Water	12
Nuclear	11
Wind	11
Heat	8

How is the census measured?

Source: The public Companies House register, including persons with significant control.
Staff: The average headcount in the latest electronic accounts.
The test: A controlling owner aged 60 or over, and no current director or individual owner under 50.
Regions: Region is taken from the registered office, so London is inflated by companies registered at their accountant's address.
Snapshots: Companies at 1 October 2026. Persons with significant control at 29 October 2026. Accounts filed in the 13 months to September 2026.
What's kept: Against each company, a yes or no flag only. No birth date, age or name is stored. The privacy notice says how.
Licence: Free to quote with credit to JTM Census.

What the census isn't

JTM Census isn't a business-sale marketplace or a listing site. No company or owner is named on this site, and nothing is for sale on it. JTM Census doesn't give legal, tax or financial advice.