245 failed UK companies in 90 days may hold licensable records. Here's who they are.
Between 31 July and 29 October 2026, 4,798 UK companies entered creditors' voluntary liquidation or administration. 245 of them had 25 or more staff and sat outside sensitive sectors.
How we counted. We read every Gazette notice of a creditors' voluntary liquidation (4,407) or administration (408) in the period, and left out members' voluntary liquidations (1,823), which are solvent. We matched each company to the average headcount in its latest accounts at Companies House. 276 had 25 or more staff. We set aside 31 in health, social care, education, legal and public administration, where records are dominated by sensitive or privileged information. That leaves 245.
Mostly small, mostly long-established
Two thirds (167) had 25–49 staff, and the median was 39. Only 20 had 100 or more. But these were not young firms: 156 had traded for more than 10 years, and 81 for more than 20. Years of history can matter more to a buyer than headcount, because they mean years of decisions, tickets and correspondence.
The sectors buyers prize are the rarest
Hospitality leads the count, but its records tend to be thinner: bookings, rotas and supplier email. The sectors AI data buyers ask for most, such as software, professional services and contact centres, made up 31 of the 245. Those are worth moving on quickly, because systems are often switched off within weeks of an appointment.
Where they are
London had the most (49), followed by the South East (29), the North West (28), the South West (23) and the West Midlands (17). 28 notices gave no company postcode.
What this means for insolvency practitioners
- A company's working records can be an asset of the estate. One buyer, Labelbox Prism, says distressed and wound-down companies are among its most active sellers, and offers single-payment wind-down packages.
- The first practical step is to preserve the systems: don't let licences lapse or let servers be wiped while the records are assessed.
- A data protection assessment comes before any sale, and de-identification before anything leaves.
- Read more: liquidators, data is an asset.
We publish the same count every week, anonymised, in the UK Data Estates Bulletin.
- 4,798 UK companies entered liquidation or administration in 90 days; 245 had 25+ staff outside sensitive sectors.
- Most were small (median 39 staff) but long-established (64% traded 10+ years).
- Software and professional services estates are rare: act early.
What could your company's records earn?
A free, nine-question estimate. No files, no logins.
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