Leicester, United Kingdom

What Leicester is made of: the communities whose institutions are here, the sectors its 13,674 businesses sit in, the franchises already on the ground, and the services a newcomer could start.

13,674 businesses on file · 136 trades · 116 sectors · registry population 368,600 · built from geonet.leicester on 2026-11-07

Businesses13,674
0% carry coordinates
Specialised in11
trades above the national pattern
Places of worship55
Franchise brands65
already operating here

Visiting rather than moving? The free guidebook for Leicester → — the free guidebook for this region: why go, what to see, what is open when it rains.

1

The local economy

What the business base is made of, what it is specialised in against the national pattern, and what that mix implies. This is the part a development office would read first.

Composition, not health. geonet records what trades exist and where; it does not record formation, closure, employment or revenue, so none of those appear here. What makes this economics rather than a directory is the NAICS coding: it lets the local mix be read against the BLS survival curves and against the 323 industry groups this research has screened.

The two biggest markets here

Every industry group on this page links through to its NAICS page, and to the screened market report where this research has one — that is what the trait-to-NAICS coding buys.

Business density37.1
businesses per 1,000 residents, against the registry population of 368,600
Breadth of the base336
broad — 92 industry groups, top three 20.7%
Survival the mix implies56.6%
at five years, against 51.4% for all private establishments
Coded to NAICS22.9%
of which 70.1% unambiguous

What this city is specialised in

Location quotient is this city's share of a trade divided by the same share across 2 UK metro tables. Above 1.25 is the conventional threshold for a local specialisation.

Thin against the national pattern

Common trades that are under-represented here. For someone deciding what to open, this is the more useful half of the table — though a gap can mean unmet demand or a market that does not work here, and this does not tell you which.

The base against the entry screen

Businesses by the entry signal of the industry group they sit in, from the /markets screen. A large "structure decides" share means most local trades are ones where being better than the incumbent does not by itself win. A trade is matched to the screened record at whatever level the research wrote it — the same code, a broader one, or a narrower one. Where a group holds several screened sub-markets the count is shown, because no single one of them speaks for the whole group.

Enter
27.7%
869 businesses
Caution
54.3%
1,703 businesses
Structure decides
18%
566 businesses
Not screened
0%
0 businesses

How to read the survival figure

Each sector's five-year establishment survival rate, weighted by how many of this city's businesses sit in that sector. It is a property of the MIX, not of these businesses — it says what survival this composition would imply at US private-sector rates, because no Canadian equivalent series exists.

Weighted over 99.9% of the coded base — public administration carries no curve. Source: Business Employment Dynamics — Table 7, Survival of private sector establishments by opening year, US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And what it does not measure

A "mixed" trait is one that genuinely spans codes — "computers" covers systems design, repair and supply. The clear share is how much of this reading rests on unambiguous coding. Business density also reflects how completely the directory covers a place, not only how many businesses are in it — so it compares poorly between a city the register knows well and one it does not.

2

Who lives here, and who the city is for

The census: the only figures on this page that count people rather than businesses, and the three cohort readings they make possible.

No census subdivision is mapped for uk-leicester in local/census-map.json, so this page carries no census figures. The mapping is kept explicit because Canada has several places called London, Toronto and Kelowna, and attaching the wrong one would put another city's demographics on this page.

3

The communities the register shows

A community appears in the business register before it appears in prose — a national church, a society, a credit union, a newspaper. Those are counted as institutions, and they are what suggests residents. A restaurant serving a cuisine is counted separately as trade, because every city has those and they say nothing about who lives nearby. The ranking is by institutions.

CommunityInstitutions WorshipTrade Where it shows
Caribbean 2 — 4
Leicester African Caribbean Business Association · Leicester United Caribbean Association
Islamic 1 — 15
trade on Asfordby Street (3) · Melbourne Centre (2) · London Road (2)
Islamic Girls School
South Asian 1 — 14
trade on 48 Loughborough Road (3) · East Park Road (2)
Gujarati Arya Association
Irish 1 — 3
Leicester Irish Sport and Cultural Association
Chinese — — 17
trade on Belgrave Gate (2) · Narborough Road (2)
Dutch — — 8
French — — 6
Scottish — — 6
Italian — — 3
Polish — — 3
Thai — — 2
Estonian — — 2
Swiss — — 2
Somali — — 2
Spanish-speaking — — 1
Jewish — — 1
4

Where the communities are

Streets, not neighbourhood names. The data knows that Greek institutions sit on one street and Greek restaurants on another; it does not know the word "Greektown", so it does not use it.

Islamic

trade on Asfordby Street (3) · Melbourne Centre (2) · London Road (2)

South Asian

trade on 48 Loughborough Road (3) · East Park Road (2)
5

What the city is made of

Every business on file, grouped by the sector it trades in. This is the economic-development view: where the 13,674 businesses actually are, and the specific trades inside each sector.

SectorBusinesses ShareWhat is in it
Construction 430 3.1% plumbing (110) · roofing (83) · machinery (77) · painting (55) · heating and cooling (45) · electrician (21) · carpet (17) · flooring (10)
advertising 357 2.6% orchard (1)
Education 280 2% school (212) · library (64) · garden (4)
Business 277 2% association (121) · accounting (117) · consulting (23) · auction (5) · vending (4) · government (3) · foundation (2) · bankruptcy (1)
Living 267 2% furniture (60) · place of worship (55) · cleaning (50) · appliances (38) · property (19) · fire safety (11) · apartment (10) · veterinary (7)
Dining 246 1.8% restaurant (147) · fast food (47) · pizza (43) · burgers (5) · pubs (2) · diner (1) · chinese restaurant (1)
Automotive 193 1.4% autos (160) · tires (17) · auto repair (7) · scooter (4) · detailing (2) · auto parts (1) · auction (1) · motorcycle (1)
Retail 191 1.4% flowers (54) · jeweler (49) · photography (39) · toys (9) · gifts (8) · department store (8) · pet supply (7) · office equipment (5)
Fashion 182 1.3% clothing (182)
engineer 180 1.3%
Travel 161 1.2% travel agent (111) · hotel (39) · motel (9) · bnb (1) · parking (1)
Food 155 1.1% grocer (73) · baker (47) · catering (26) · fruit (4) · ice cream (3) · seafood (2)
construction 133 1%
Media 113 0.8% signs (69) · advertising (41) · printing (3)
Finance 107 0.8% insurance (74) · bank (16) · mortgage (15) · loans (2)
cafes 104 0.8%
housewares 101 0.7%
consulting 96 0.7% bankruptcy (1)
Logistics 94 0.7% packaging (45) · storage (28) · truck transportation (15) · forklifts (3) · towing (2) · railroad (1)
beautysalons 91 0.7%
6

The franchises already here

Brands from a register of 2,024 franchise systems, matched into this city by name. A high count is a signal in both directions: the territory works, and it may be taken.

38 of these brands are a single common word — Metro, Avenue, Budget — so their counts include businesses that merely share the word. They are marked rather than dropped.

BrandCategory HereWorldwide
Pizza Hut pizza 5 10,000
Royal Mail post 4 14,300
Salvation Army retail 4 —
St. John retail 4 —
Thomas Cook travel 4 700
Burger King fastfood 3 11,000
Laura Ashley retail 3 —
Holiday Inn businesshotel 2 —
IKON Office Solutions retail 2 400
Royal Bank bank 2 —
Whittard of Chelsea retail 2 —
Alamo Rent A Car car 1 1,000
Allied Irish Bank bank 1 —
Cartridge World retail 1 1,400
Costa Coffee coffee 1 755
CostCutter Supermarkets supermarket 1 1,300
Disney Store retail 1 —
Enterprise Rent A Car car 1 5,400
Food City supermarket 1 —
Furniture Medic specialty 1 600
House of Fraser retail 1 —
La Senza lingerie 1 —
Snappy Tomato Pizza pizza 1 75
The Body Shop retail 1 —
Thrifty Car Rentals car 1 1,100
Worldwide Express post 1 —
Wyevale Garden Centres retail 1 100
Manor name only retail 10 —
Burton name only retail 8 —
Tesco name only retail 7 1,780
Limited name only retail 6 —
Coach name only luggage 5 —
Kingfisher name only home 5 680
ASDA name only supermarket 3 243
Greyhound name only travel 3 —
Marriott name only upscalehotel 3 2,800
Champion name only supermarket 2 1,000
Halfords name only retail 2 420
HSBC name only bank 2 —
Intersport name only retail 2 60
Lexus name only luxurycar 2 —
Londis name only supermarket 2 2,100
MANGO name only retail 2 850
Midas name only auto 2 1,800
Mothercare name only retail 2 —
Somerfield name only supermarket 2 1,132
Stitches name only retail 2 —
Waterstones name only retail 2 193
Debenhams name only retail 1 126
Dillons name only supermarket 1 18
Europcar name only car 1 2,825
HomeBase locations name only retail 1 320
Jacob name only retail 1 200
Khalsa name only fuel 1 —
Krystal name only fastfood 1 400
Makro name only home 1 33
Michaels name only retail 1 805
Nissan name only auto 1 —
Peebles name only retail 1 —
Progressive name only supermarket 1 150
Raffles name only luxuryhotel 1 8
Renaissance name only upscalehotel 1 —
Safeway name only supermarket 1 1,767
Starbucks name only coffee 1 3,500
Waitrose name only supermarket 1 184
7

Real estate as a local trade

Four unrelated jobs share the name: selling existing homes, owning and letting them, managing them for someone else, and building new ones. For anyone weighing a move or a licence these are the counts — and the ownership question goes to /property, which answers it building by building.

Real estate is a local job market in its own right, and four unrelated trades get the same name. Counts are businesses filed under each trade in the register, which lists a brokerage once however many agents work there — so this measures firms, not licensees.

Selling homes

5312
11 firms · LQ 0.39

Offices of agents and brokers — the resale market, and the biggest single trade in most Canadian cities.

Named in the register
  • Ace Properties — 161 Evington Road
  • Billetop Investments — 73 Southernhay Road
  • D L N Heating Engineers — 301 Uppingham Road
  • D W Harvey Optical Services — 1a Nottingham Road
  • de Montford Investments — The Grange; Rearsby
  • Harborough Developments — Stoughton House; Harborough Road
  • Pearmain — 6/10 King Street
  • R M J — Marsh Road; Mountsorrel
  • Stemfield — 158 Nedham Street
  • The Cathco Property Group — Trafalgar House; 171-173 Charles Street
  • W B Developments — Leicester Road; Ibstock

Owning and letting

5311
10 firms · LQ 2.76

Lessors of real estate: the buildings themselves, filed under the building rather than the owner.

Named in the register
  • 30 Springfield Road Management — 30 Springfield Road
  • Belvoirfame — 1 Rochester Close; Kibworth
  • Castle Mills Melbourne Residents — 25 Rutland Street
  • Charles Court Management Co — The Rutland Centre; 56 Halford Street
  • Charnwood Mews Management Co — 2nd Floor Rutland Centre; 56 Halford Street
  • Freedom Apartments and Travel — 5 Middlefield Road; Cossington
  • Lester Hall Apartments — 15 Elms Road
  • Oliver Court Management Co — 7 Millstone Lane
  • Queen Street Apartments — The Rowley Building
  • Redcolour — 16/32 Carisbrooke Road

Managing for owners

5313
19 firms · LQ 1.55

Property managers, who run buildings the landlord does not.

Named in the register
  • B and C Management — 24 Belvoir Street
  • Briar Court Management — 11 Briar Meads; Oadby
  • Brookfield Investments Nottingham — 36 Corporation Road
  • Carisbrooke Mews Management Co — 35 Balmoral Close
  • Falmouth Management Leicester — 102/104 Granby Street
  • Fara Estate Property Management and Construction — 378 East Park Road
  • L and M Investment Co — 41 The Fairway; Oadby
  • Langham Morris and Co — 63 Regent Road
  • N and A Shah — 35 Babingley Drive; Stadim Estate
  • Peter Christian Holdings — 126-128 Knighton Lane
  • Regency Property Management — 346 East Park Road
  • Rothelm — Peat House; 1 Waterloo Way
  • Sachway — 106 New Walk
  • StMartins Square Shopping Centre — Management Office; 4 Silver Walk

Building new homes

2361
2 firms · LQ 0.58

Residential builders and the general contractors who work for them.

Named in the register
  • Richwood Carpentry and Joinery — 51 Swithland Lane; Rothley
  • Vellam — St. Christophers Rd

Financing it

5222
17 firms · LQ 0.64

Mortgage brokers and non-bank lenders.

Named in the register
  • Able To Get You A Mortgage — Third Floor/Martin House
  • Arnage Mortgages — 16 Francis Street
  • Blue Mortgages — 52 Hinckley Rd, LE3
  • Box Tree Mortgage Solutions — 60-62 Granby Street
  • Custom Made Mortgages — St Johns; Narborough
  • Independent Mortgage Bureau — 13 - 15 Stamford Street; Glenfield
  • Intelligent Mortgages — 20 Saxon Street
  • Mortgage Advice Centre — 15-17 Halford Street
  • Mortgage Deals 4 U — 120 Melton Road
  • Mortgage Solutions — 16a High Street; Syston
  • Select Mortgage Services — Finance House
  • Short Term Finance Leicester — 4a Fir Tree La, Groby
  • Sinnott Mortgage Services — Narborough Road
  • Welch and Son Finance — 16 Broad St, Enderby

On "how many doors"

How many doors a landlord holds is not in any of this. The register files an apartment building under the building, not its owner, and carries no unit count; there is no open dataset of Canadian landlords by portfolio. Where this research has established ownership it is in the /property record for the city, building by building, which is a different and much slower exercise.

8

Work on the go, mobile services

The Ultimate 411 half of local: everything where the customer does not have to come to you. Each service opens a page on Ultimate 411 to request a quote or book a time.

A shop needs the customer to walk in. These 320 services do the opposite — the mobile mechanic, the mobile groomer, the bookkeeper, the junk haul — and they are the ones a person can start without a lease. 1 of them already match a trait filed in this city's register.

The 320 Service=1 rows in search.local: work on the go, mobile services, where the provider travels to the customer. "present" counts businesses already filed under that exact trait name; a blank is a coverage gap, not proof of absence, because the two vocabularies were built separately.

home services

Accessible Home Renovations Air Filtration & Purifier Installation Short-Term Rental Turnover Appliance Installation Artificial Turf Installation Babyproofing & Safety Installs Electric Baseboard Heater Installation Basement Renovation Bathroom Fan Replacement & Installation Bathroom Renovation BBQ Cleaning Blinds & Shutters Installation Cabinet Refacing Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Carpet Installation Caulking & Sealing Ceiling Fan Installation Ceiling Design & Repair Central Vacuum Installation Countertop Installation Custom Closet Design & Installation Decorative Rock & Gravel Deep Cleaning Drain Cleaning Dryer Vent Cleaning & Hose Installation Drywall Repair Air Duct & Furnace Cleaning Electrical Inspection Electrical Panel & Breaker Upgrade Errand Running EV Charger Installation & Service Exterior Painting Faucet Installation Fence & Deck Staining Furnace & Air Conditioner Installation Furnace & AC Repair Furniture Assembly Garden Weeding & Maintenance Grocery Pickup & Delivery Gutter Cleaning Handyman (General Repairs) Hardwood Flooring Installation Hedge & Shrub Trimming Home Project Design Consultation House Cleaning House Sitting HVAC Tune-Up & Maintenance Insulation Installation Interior Painting Junk Removal & Dump Runs Kitchen Design Consultation Kitchen Renovation Laminate & Vinyl Flooring Installation Landscape Design & Planting Lawn Aeration & Seeding Lawn Leveling Lawn Mowing Fall Leaf Cleanup Light Fixture, Switch & Outlet Installation Material Take-off & Estimate Move-In / Move-Out Cleaning Moving Help (Labour Only) Moving with Truck Office Cleaning Outdoor Blinds & Shades Personal Shopper Picture & Mirror Hanging Pipe Insulation Plaster Wall Repair Pot Light Installation Pressure Washing Move Things Around the House Wiring Upgrade & Rewiring Driveway & Sidewalk Salting Shelving & Closet Organizer Installation Shower Valve Replacement Sink Installation Smart Camera & Doorbell Installation Smoke & CO Alarm Installation Snow Shovelling & Removal Sod Installation Lawn Sprinkler Installation Irrigation Repair & Maintenance Packing & Unpacking Sump Pump Installation & Replacement Smart Thermostat Installation Tile Installation Toilet Installation Toilet Repair Interior Trim & Baseboard Repair TV & Picture Mounting Wall & Ceiling Texturing Wall Panels & Accent Walls Wallpaper Installation & Removal Wardrobe Styling Water Damage Extraction Water Heater Installation (Tank & Tankless) Water Softener & Filtration Water Valve Replacement Weed Control Window AC Installation Window Cleaning Window Film Installation Spring & Fall Yard Cleanup
9

Schools and colleges

wander.schools is a post-secondary table — universities and colleges. K-12 public and private schools are not in it, and only 7 of its 1,686 rows carry coordinates, so these are listed and not mapped.

InstitutionTypeStudentsFounded
Leicester University — —

In the business register

Where schooling shows up as a business rather than an institution — which is where K-12, tutoring and childcare appear.

school 212daycare 1
10

Health and care

What a person moving a parent here would ask first. The register files clinics and pharmacies; it has no category for a hospital at all, so hospitals are matched by name and the limit is stated rather than hidden.

Medical clinics2
Pharmacies3
Dental practices54

Matched on the name "hospital"

  • Springfield Road Health Centre — Health Centre, Springfield Rd
  • Westcotes Health Centre — Fosse Road South
  • University Hospital of Leicester N H S T — Groby Road
  • Eastgate Complimentary Health Centre — Eastgate Ho, Humberstone Rd
  • Wiggestons Hospital — Hinkley Road
  • Acuherbgood Health Centre — 103a London Rd
  • Wyggestons Hospital — Wyggeston Hospital
  • The Freemens Common Health Centre — 161 Welford Road
  • Trinity Hospital — 50 Western Boulevard
  • P D S A Pet Aid Hospital — 64 Heyford Road
  • Multique Health Centre — 22 Melton Road
  • Uppingham Road Health Centre — 131 Uppingham Road
  • Community Health Centre — 138 Winstanley Drive
  • Glenfield Hospital NHS Trust — Groby Rd
  • Ayurveda Health Centre — 1 Sybil Rd
  • St Peters Health Centre — Sparkenhoe Street
  • Beaumont Leys Health Centre — 1 Little Wood Close
  • New Parks Health Centre — St. Oswalds Road

geonet carries no 'hospital' trait, so these are matched on the business name. A distance-to-hospital figure needs a source that states hospital locations.

14

What this record cannot tell you

Named in full, because the gaps are the part most likely to be misread as an answer.

  • No census figures on this page: this region is not mapped to a census subdivision in local/census-map.json, so the community counts here are business-register institutions, which is a different measurement and cannot substitute for a population.
  • wander.schools is now readable, but it holds universities and colleges only and 1,679 of its 1,686 rows have no coordinates. K-12 public and private schools need a separate source — in Ontario the Ministry of Education school finder, in British Columbia the provincial school list. wander.citytowns, hotels and territories remain denied to the ru user.
  • No 'hospital' trait exists in geonet; distance to a hospital needs an external source such as StatCan's Open Database of Healthcare Facilities.
  • 100.0% of businesses here carry no coordinates, so a map or address lookup would miss them. Postal codes reach 100%.

Built from

  • geonet.leicester — the local business register
  • wander.regions — city name, population, metro
  • search.local — trait vocabulary and the come-to-you services
  • search.cozfranchises — 2,024 franchise brands