Companies in Reading
Reading is the 21st biggest place on the UK company register, with 25,264 live companies, or 0.4% of the UK total. 2,795 of those were formed in 2025. 1,552 (6.1%) have a proposal to strike off on file, below the UK figure of 7.3%. Compared with the UK as a whole, Reading stands out for wireless telecommunications activities: 54 companies, 4.5 times the national share.
What Reading has more of than the rest of the UK
Each trade's share of Reading companies, compared with its share across the UK.
Biggest trades in Reading
Live Reading companies, by year formed
Only companies still live are counted, so older years look smaller. 2026 stops on 1 November 2026.
See every year as a table
| Year | Live companies |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 501 |
| 2013 | 682 |
| 2014 | 763 |
| 2015 | 910 |
| 2016 | 889 |
| 2017 | 944 |
| 2018 | 1,147 |
| 2019 | 1,285 |
| 2020 | 1,201 |
| 2021 | 1,338 |
| 2022 | 1,375 |
| 2023 | 1,707 |
| 2024 | 2,092 |
| 2025 | 2,795 |
| 2026 | 2,603 |
Oldest active companies in Reading
- FisonsFormed 1895
- The Reading Football ClubFormed 1897
- Arthur NewberyFormed 1898
- Hill's Rubber CompanyFormed 1899
- Quaker Oats.Formed 1899
Nearest in size
Town means the post town of the registered address, which isn't always where a company trades. Many companies use an accountant's or formation agent's address. Figures come from Companies House on 1 November 2026.