UK companies in Manchester
Manchester is the largest UK business hub outside London. Tech is strong here, above all near MediaCity. Digital agencies and professional services do well too. The postcodes around the city (OL, BL) still carry plenty of manufacturing and logistics. Greater Manchester holds roughly 5% of active UK companies. It sits in the top 3 for new ltds each month.
Key facts
- Manchester (M postcode) has ~120,000 active UK ltd companies
- Salford (M3, M5, M50) packs in more UK digital agencies than any area outside London. MediaCity is the reason
- Greater Manchester (M, OL, BL, BB, WN, SK) makes up roughly 5% of UK incorporations, meaning new companies formed
The most registered SIC codes in Manchester
Counting active companies whose registered office is a Manchester post town, these are the codes that come up most often on the August 2026 Companies House snapshot. Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate leads with 9,437 companies. It is worth reading against the sectors above: the authored view is what Manchester is known for, this is what its companies actually filed.
- 68209Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate9,437
- 47910Retail sale via mail order houses or via the internet7,386
- 68100Buying and selling of own real estate6,551
- 70229Other management consultancy activities (not financial)3,911
- 82990Other business support service activities n.e.c.3,764
- 96090Other service activities n.e.c.3,344
- 99999Dormant Company3,190
- 46900Non-specialised wholesale trade3,076
A company may register up to four SIC codes and these counts include every position, so a business filed under two of them appears twice. Use the list to pick a code, then narrow by postcode and incorporation date. Every company you pull carries the Companies House record, the director's name, a verified website and a verified email, and the ones we cannot complete are not charged.
Dominant sectors in Manchester
Postcode filter
To target Manchester on Leadistry, set the postcode prefix filter to:
M, OL, BL, BB, WN, SKThe search returns companies with a registered office in any of these postcode areas. Add a SIC code filter from the table above to narrow by sector.
About Manchester on Companies House
What is the best way to target Greater Manchester businesses?
Use postcode prefixes M, OL, BL, BB, WN, SK as one filter group. Inside Manchester itself, M1–M4 is the city centre. M3, M5 and M50 cover MediaCity and Salford Quays. M14 is the student area, and many tech startups sit there.
Are Manchester directors easier to reach than London directors?
Often, yes. Reply rates tend to run higher outside London. Directors there get less cold email. Leadistry finds named director emails in Manchester just as well as anywhere else. Every lead ships with a verified website and a verified email.
Can I find Manchester-based tech startups specifically?
Filter SIC 62012, postcode prefix M, and company age 0–5 years. M50 and M5 sit next to MediaCity, so they hold far more tech firms than their size suggests.
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