London has 552,505 VAT- or PAYE-registered businesses, more than any other part of the UK, and 90.1% of them employ fewer than ten people. It also leans harder than anywhere else towards office work: professional services are 16.1% of businesses and software and IT 6.7%, both the highest share of any UK nation or region.
We do not have an office, staff or events in London. Everything is online, and you deal with the same small team in Suffolk that builds the software.
The local business mix
Construction is 11.4% of London businesses, the lowest share of any UK nation or region. That is still 62,995 firms, so GraftG has a place here, but it is a smaller part of the story than in the East or South East. In London the usual time sink is proposals, quotes and client admin, which is where we would start.
| Sector | Businesses | Share | UK | vs UK · rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All businesses | 552,505 | 100% | — | 1 of 12 by count |
| Fewer than 10 staff | 497,835 | 90.1% | 89.1% | |
| Construction and specialist trades | 62,995 | 11.4% | 14.1% | below · 12 of 12 |
| Cleaning, facilities and landscaping | 7,775 | 1.4% | 2.0% | below · 11 of 12 |
| Wholesale | 20,725 | 3.8% | 3.6% | about the same · 6 of 12 |
| Retail | 44,260 | 8.0% | 7.7% | about the same · 6 of 12 |
| Motor trade and repair | 7,595 | 1.4% | 3.0% | below · 12 of 12 |
| Hotels, pubs, cafés and restaurants | 30,045 | 5.4% | 6.5% | below · 10 of 12 |
| Professional services (legal, accounting, consultancy, architects, marketing) | 89,090 | 16.1% | 12.3% | above · 1 of 12 |
| Software and IT services | 37,065 | 6.7% | 4.4% | above · 1 of 12 |
Source: ONS UK Business Counts 2026, via Nomis, March 2026. About these figures.
What fits here, and why
Ordered by how many local businesses each is likely to suit.
Built for small firms with no IT department. With 16.1% of London businesses in professional services, the hours usually hide in proposals, follow-ups and reporting.
Find out more →Consultancies, agencies and studios quote work and then forget to chase it. If you run Xero or QuickBooks, Quote Nudge does the chasing.
Find out more →London has 37,065 software and IT businesses. Agencies building for Linnworks clients can deploy the connector for each client from one purchase.
Find out more →For London’s 44,260 retailers and 20,725 wholesalers, if you sell through Linnworks.
Find out more →No. Grafto is run from Suffolk, where Green & Home Ltd has its warehouse in Mildenhall (registered office: Hertford). We work with businesses in London remotely: the AI Tools Report, the apps and support are all online or by email. Our only in-person events are in Bury St Edmunds.
It depends on what you do, but on the local mix we would usually start with AI Tools Report. Ten minutes of questions, then a costed nine-slide plan: which jobs AI can take off you, which tools, what they cost. £59.99 inc VAT.
From the Office for National Statistics’ UK Business Counts for 2026, published through Nomis. They count 552,505 enterprises registered for VAT and/or PAYE in London, so very small unregistered sole traders are not included.
Nearby
Neighbouring: South East · East of England. Or see everywhere we work.
Ten minutes of questions, then a costed plan for your business, wherever in the UK it is. £59.99 inc VAT.
Get my AI Tools Report →Questions first? Email hello@grafto.co.uk.