List of Distribution Companies in the UK

Last updated 2 November 2026

There are 1,261 distribution companies in the UK, one in every 7,007 UK companies. Three in five of all distribution firms are based in London, South East, East of England, West Midlands and North West. Below you find the largest distribution firms in the UK, the regions where they cluster, how many started this year and which are the oldest. The full list with addresses, phone numbers and email is in our UK company database or through the Companies House API.

1,261 companies indexed · Data counted on 2 November 2026

Companies1,2611 in7,007 UK companiesRegions12Largest regionLondon 168Sole traders8%Employees1-4 (38%)Revenue$1M-$5M (25%)Email44%Phone93%Website90%

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A live sample of the list

A live view of all 1,261 distribution firms, sorted by revenue. Narrow it by region, city, employee size, revenue, legal form or founding year, or search a firm by name.

Westcoast LIMITEDWestcoast LIMITED

	Company Name	Country	City	Address 1	State/Province	Postal Code	Website	Founding Year	Yearly Revenue in U.S. Dollars	Employees Total	Business Legal Type - Description	Number of Companies in Group	Company Registration Number
1	Westcoast LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Sheffield Bottom	Arrowhead Park	West Berkshire	RG7 4AH	*****.uk	1984	$4,405,486,157	935	Corporation	223	01816587
2	Tesco Distribution LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Oaklands	Tesco House, Shire Park	Hertfordshire	AL7 1GA	*****.com	1995	$2,951,706,004	17,727	Corporation	5042	02972724
3	Dhl Services LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Milton Keynes	Solstice House	Milton Keynes	MK9 1EQ	N/A	1997	$1,954,673,736	31,560	Corporation	6331	03324664
4	Midwich Group PLC	Unitedkingdom	Diss	Vinces Road	Norfolk	IP22 4YT	*****.com	2013	$1,708,462,615	1,859	Corporation	49	08793266
5	Xpo Transport Solutions UK LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Winwick	Distribution House	West Northamptonshire	NN6 7SL	*****.com	2008	$903,821,771	4,412	Corporation	100	06634081
6	Premier Farnell UK LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Penraevon Industrial Estate	150 Armley Road	Leeds, West Yorkshire	LS12 2QQ	*****.com	1967	$893,927,672	1,375	Corporation	666	00860093
7	James Hall And Company LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Haighton Green	Spar Distribution Centre	Lancashire	PR2 5QT	*****.uk	1925	$885,897,435	998	Corporation	146	01022295
8	Wesco Anixter UK LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Bracknell	Inspired	Bracknell Forest	RG12 1YQ	*****.com	1957	$610,492,833	617	Corporation	69	00248952
9	Centresoft LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Witton	Unit 6	Birmingham, West Midlands	B6 7BB	*****.uk	1983	$579,942,518	180	Corporation	12	01673860
10	Alcura UK LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Sheerwater	Space	Surrey	GU21 5BJ	*****.uk	1994	$536,470,372	1	Corporation	845	02945457
11	Gregory Distribution LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	North Tawton	North Park	Devon	EX20 2EB	*****.com	1977	$431,086,458	2,550	Corporation	36	01329163
12	Poundstretcher LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Kirby Muxloe	Desford Road	Leicestershire	LE9 2BJ	*****.uk	1981	$335,607,702	3,237	Corporation	438	00553014
13	Midwich LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Diss	Vinces Road	Norfolk	IP22 4YT	*****.com	2008	$333,596,857	402	Corporation	49	01436289
14	C.J. Lang & Son LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Baldovie	Longtown Distribution Centre	Dundee City	DD4 8JU	*****.uk	1934	$321,469,176	1,847	Corporation	57	SC017664
15	Vow Europe LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Wincobank	1st Floor	Sheffield, South Yorkshire	S9 1XT	*****.com	1852	$290,910,201	1,313	Corporation	27	01204488
16	Palletline LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Marston Green	The Logistics Centre	Solihull, West Midlands	B37 7HB	*****.uk	1988	$267,537,691	493	Corporation	13	02277533
17	Frontline LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Peterborough	Stuart House (1st Floor)	Peterborough	PE1 5DD	*****.uk	1937	$250,164,366	313	Corporation	298	00329613
18	Fowler Welch LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Spalding	Fowler Welch Ltd	Lincolnshire	PE11 2BB	*****.uk	1971	$233,758,025	1,241	Corporation	151	01001101
19	Palletforce LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Barton-under-needwood	Centrum West Logistics Park	Staffordshire	DE14 2SY	*****.com	2000	$228,858,897	528	Corporation	71	04088035
20	P.J.H. Group LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Over Hulton	Pjh House	Manchester, Greater Manchester	BL5 1FQ	*****.uk	1972	$218,113,562	592	Corporation	27	01056008
21	Musgrave Distribution LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Sydenham Intake	1-15 Dargan Crescent	Belfast	BT3 9HJ	*****.ie	1983	$211,834,733	312	Corporation	271	NI015409
22	Ultimate Products UK LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Top of Cragg	Manor Mill	Manchester, Greater Manchester	OL9 0DD	*****.com	1997	$204,786,842	361	Corporation	4	03357718
23	Tennants Distribution LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Moss Nook	Hazelbottom Road	Manchester, Greater Manchester	M8 0GR	*****.com	1995	$202,863,627	182	Corporation	59	03133273
24	Loudwater Trade And Finance LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Friern Barnet	Honeypot House	London	NW2 2AD	*****.com	1991	$184,060,157	47	Corporation	4	02669850
25	Pall-Ex (U.K.) LIMITED	Unitedkingdom	Coalville	Pall-ex	Leicestershire	LE67 1FH	*****.com	2000	$156,341,015	351	Corporation	10	03155761

Showing 25 of 1,261 companies

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Where in the UK?

London has the most distribution companies in the UK (168), ahead of South East (151), East of England (144), West Midlands (132) and North West (129). Together the five hold three in five of them. Relative to their size, East Midlands, West Midlands and East of England have the most: 1.2 to 1.5 times the national share.

Regions by number of firms

12 UK regions have at least one distribution firm; 12 have ten or more; 0 have exactly one. Click a region to set the lens.

Only here

Where they cluster

Distribution firms per 100 companies, in regions with at least 100 of them. The national share is 0.01. East Midlands has 1.5 times the national share.

1.5×
1.3×
1.2×
1.2×
1.0×
0.9×
0.6×

Dashed line: the national share. A filled dot is twice the national share or more.

Firm sizes in the UK

Of the 1,011 UK distribution firms with a known headcount, 389 (38%) have one to four people, 165 have five to nine, 310 have ten to 49 and 147 have 50 or more. Most firms turn over between $1 million and $5 million a year (248, 25%).

EU size bands · the grey line shows all UK companies

Micro under 10554 55%
Small 10 to 49310 31%
Medium 50 to 249125 12%
Large 250+22 2%

Grey line: the share among all UK companies (93% have under ten staff).

319

firms turn over more than $5 million a year; 241 more than $10 million.

firms were entered in 2026.

Largest distribution firms in the UK

The biggest firms by staff and by revenue, the largest in London. Click a name for the record.

DHL Services is the largest distribution firm in the UK by headcount. 147 firms employ 50 people or more; 72 employ 100 or more.

1Milton Keynes31,560 staff
2Hertfordshire17,727 staff
3West Northamptonshire4,412 staff
4Leicestershire3,237 staff
5Stoke-on-Trent2,770 staff
6Devon2,550 staff
7Wakefield1,500 staff
8Leeds1,375 staff
9Sheffield1,313 staff
10Lincolnshire1,241 staff

By employee size · 1,011 firms with a known headcount

Employees	Firms	%
1-4	389	38%
5-9	165	16%
10-19	150	15%
20-49	160	16%
50-99	75	7%
100-199	33	3%
200-499	17	2%
500-999	11	1%
1,000+	11	1%

38% have 1 to 4 people; 160 have 20 to 49; 147 have 50 or more.

By yearly revenue (USD)

Revenue	Firms	%
< $100K	124	13%
$100K-$500K	191	19%
$500K-$1M	106	11%
$1M-$5M	248	25%
$5M-$10M	78	8%
$10M-$50M	175	18%
$50M-$100M	24	2%
$100M-$500M	32	3%
$500M+	10	1%

25% between $1 million and $5 million; 248 between $1M and $5M; 319 above $5M.

How many distribution companies are there in the UK?

Distribution companies and distribution firms in the UK

1,261

2 November 2026

There are 1,261 distribution companies and distribution firms in the UK in our data (2 November 2026). That is one in every 7,007 UK companies. About 2 new firms are entered in the register every month this year (19 so far in 2026).

Structure

Single-site firms: 802 64%
Head offices: 186
Branch offices: 273

Classification

Our platform filter is the national code 46, 49, 52.

766 of the 1,261 are Ltd and PLC (61%); 100 are sole traders. They come from Companies House and our UK register data, through the Companies House API.

Distribution firms in London

London has 168 distribution companies and distribution firms, <0.1% of all 1,945,804 London companies and 40% below the national share. Three in five London firms have fewer than five people; 9 have 50 or more. 11 new firms were entered in 2026, 21 date from before 1990.

Size

1-4 staff: 99 · 63%
5-9: 16 · 10%
10-19: 21 · 13%
20-49: 12 · 8%
50+: 9 · 6%

Legal form

Sole traders: 7 · 4%
Partnerships: 1 · 0.6%
Ltd and PLC: 138 · 82%
Other or none: 22 · 13%

Of the UK total: 13.3%
Of all London companies: <0.1%
Against the national share: 0.6×

New

Entered 2026 so far: 11
Entered 2025: 22
Of UK's 2026 entries: 57.9%

Old

Before 1990: 21 · 13%
1990 or later: 147 · 88%
Of UK's pre-1990 firms: 10.2%

Reachable

Email: 97 · 58%
Phone: 130 · 77%
Website: 150 · 89%

Revenue (USD)

Under $100K: 50 · 33%
$100K-$500K: 26 · 17%
$500K-$1M: 15 · 10%
$1M and more: 62 · 41%

Largest

1180
2100
394
487
582

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How they compare

Next to related industries

There are 181 wholesale companies for every distribution firm in the UK.

Industry	Firms	Website	1-4 staff
Wholesale Companies	228,406	35%	78%
Trucking Companies	76,330	18%	86%
Logistics Companies	41,004	35%	76%
Food Distribution Companies	34,147	34%	72%
Import Export Companies	17,774	16%	95%
Distribution Companies	1,261	90%	31%

Free sample: distribution firms in Europe

The oldest firms in the UK

Our data holds 8 UK distribution firms from before 1900, 32 from before 1950 and 206 from before 1990.

1833
1. Manchester
1851
1. Buckinghamshire
1852
1. Sheffield
1868
1. Shropshire
1871
1. Cheshire East
1872
1. Lisburn and Castlereagh

Older than you

Live tool

Move the slider to a year. Two live counts, scoped to this industry.

1990

206

UK distribution firms date from before 1990

were entered in 1990

How reachable are they?

Distribution firms are easier to reach than the average UK company: 93% list a phone number and 90% a website.

Email554 44%
Phone1,170 93%
Website1,141 90%

Grey line: all UK companies (email 15%, phone 30%, website 30%).

The full list with these fields is in our UK company database.

Sole traders or Ltd: how they are organised

One in thirteen UK distribution firms work as sole traders, against 7% of all UK companies. Three in five are Ltd and PLC.

Sole traders1008%
Partnerships (partnerships and LLPs)343%
Ltd and PLC76661%
No form on record or other36129%

Single-site: 64%
Head offices: 186
Branches: 273

All UK companies: 7% sole traders, 3% partnerships, 62% Ltd and PLC.

Frequently asked questions

How many distribution companies are there in the UK?

There are 1,261 distribution companies and distribution firms in the UK in our data, counted on 2 November 2026. That is one in every 7,007 UK companies.

Which is the largest distribution firm in the UK?

DHL Services in Milton Keynes, with 31,560 staff. By revenue Westcoast in West Berkshire leads with $4.4 billion a year.

Which UK region has the most distribution companies?

London, with 168, ahead of South East (151), East of England (144), West Midlands (132) and North West (129). Relative to its size, East Midlands has the most: 1.5 times the national share.

How many distribution firms are there in London?

168, which is <0.1% of all 1,945,804 London companies and 40% below the national share.

How big is a typical distribution firm?

38% of the 1,011 firms with a known headcount have one to four people; 147 have 50 or more. Most turn over between $1 million and $5 million a year.

Are UK distribution companies sole traders or companies?

One in thirteen (100) are sole traders, 3% are partnerships and 61% (766) are Ltd and PLC.

How many distribution firms started in 2026?

19 were entered in the UK register so far in 2026, after 33 in 2025. 16 of them are Ltd and PLC.

What is the oldest distribution firm in the UK?

Joseph Gleave & Son in Manchester, 1833, followed by Dayla in Buckinghamshire (1851) and Vow Europe in Sheffield (1852). 8 firms date from before 1900.

Which industry code covers distribution companies?

Our platform filters them on the national code 46, 49 and 52.

Can I download the full list?

Yes. All 1,261 firms with address, phone, email, legal form, employees, revenue and founding year, as Excel, CSV or through the API.

Discover more: related industries, by region, in other countries

The lists closest to this one. Every industry and city in the UK is on the UK page.

Wholesale and retail

Companies in UK cities

Europe

Americas

Distribution Companies in Canada

Asia Pacific

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