2,136 active companies are registered in Retford with Companies House. Out of 2,326 companies ever registered here, 5 are no longer active — a 92% survival rate. Business formation remains steady, with 47.2% of current companies established since 2020. Over half (51%) of active companies were formed since 2020, making this one of the UK's fastest-growing business locations. The most common industry sector is other letting and operating of own or leased real estate, with 125 companies. Retford is home to 70 FCA-regulated firms and 21 registered charities. Companies here hold 94 government contracts worth £128.1M in total. The average company age is 9.9 years. The earliest company registration in Retford dates back to 1895.
Source: Companies House register via UVAGATRON, April 2026
A diverse local economy with no single sector accounting for more than 15% of businesses.
The average active company in Retford is 9.9 years old. There are 70 <Link href="/glossary/fca-financial-conduct-authority">FCA-regulated firms</Link> in the area. 21 registered charities operate locally.
Companies in Retford have been awarded 94 government contracts with a combined value of £128.1M. See the Top Government Contractors report.
There are 2,136 active companies registered in Retford, out of 2,326 total. 5 (0%) are no longer active.
The top industries in Retford include Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate (125 companies), Management consultancy activities other than financial management (80 companies), Buying and selling of own real estate (77 companies).
47.2% of currently active companies in Retford were incorporated since 2020, indicating strong recent growth.
Our database contains 13,952 data signals across 11 categories for active companies in Retford. The largest category is Governance with 6,598 signals from 5 sources.
The oldest company registration in Retford dates back to 1895, spanning over 131 years of business history.