Read 2026-10-28
Off market businesses for sale UK
Most UK businesses that change hands are never advertised: the buyer finds the owner first, through a direct approach, an adviser's network or an insolvency. One measured stream of them: 1,882 companies entered insolvency in England and Wales in September 2026. Tell us what you want to buy and Joseph Ellul will reply himself.
Source: UK Off Market Routes and Rules: every row, with its source
-
1,882
registered company insolvencies in England and Wales, September 2026
Company insolvencies, September 2026 -
1,946
the same count in August 2026
UK Off-Market Routes and Rules
Tell us what you want to buy
UK Off Market Routes and Rules
Last updated
Each row is a figure read from the authority's own release through our fetch box on the date shown.
Every row is a verbatim sentence read from the named source's own page through our fetch service on the date shown, hash-pinned to the stored read (the sha of the page's visible text; the raw page is mirrored to R2). 2 of the 15 named sources that could be read published a usable figure; 13 published none and are recorded as not published, never filled in; 0 could not be read (blocked, dead or unreachable) and count nowhere. The headline figures (median, minimum, maximum, quartiles) are over ONE figure per source in count (a source's median where its page yielded several accepted sentences), so N counts sources, never sentences; 6 candidate sentence(s) were refused by a reviewer with the reason recorded. The fuller derivation this dataset is chartered to grow into (not yet what the figures above are; they are each source's own published figure as read): the monthly count of company insolvencies and administration appointments as the distressed off-market flow, the register-search method stated once, and the RAO article 70 and SIP 16 rules stated with their authority pages
| Provider | Published figure | Read | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company insolvencies, September 2026 | 1,882 | 2026-10-28 | Company insolvencies, September 2026 |
| Company insolvencies, August 2026 | 1,946 | 2026-10-28 | Company insolvencies, August 2026 |
| The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 | publishes no price | 2026-10-28 | The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 |
| The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 | publishes no price | 2026-10-23 | The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 |
| FCA Handbook | publishes no price | 2026-10-28 | FCA Handbook |
| Sorry, something is wrong | publishes no price | 2026-10-28 | Sorry, something is wrong |
| Technical Library - R3 | publishes no price | 2026-10-28 | Technical Library - R3 |
| The Administration (Restrictions on Disposal etc. to Connected Persons) Regulations 2021 | publishes no price | 2026-10-28 | The Administration (Restrictions on Disposal etc. to Connected Persons) Regulations 2021 |
| Insolvency notices | publishes no price | 2026-10-28 | Insolvency notices |
| All notices | publishes no price | 2026-10-28 | All notices |
| The Insolvency Service | publishes no price | 2026-10-08 | The Insolvency Service |
| Insolvency Service Official Statistics | publishes no price | 2026-10-28 | Insolvency Service Official Statistics |
| Advanced company search - Find and update company information | publishes no price | 2026-10-12 | Advanced company search - Find and update company information |
| Companies House | publishes no price | 2026-10-11 | Companies House |
- 1,882 companies entered insolvency in England and Wales in September 2026, 4% fewer than in August. (Company insolvencies, September 2026)
Cite this page
“UK Off Market Routes and Rules”, Off-Market Businesses for Sale, https://offmarketbusinessesforsale.co.uk/ (updated 2026-10-28). Every row is a verbatim sentence read from the named source's own page through our fetch service on the date shown, hash-pinned to the stored read (the sha of the page's visible text; the raw page is mirrored to R2). 2 of the 15 named sources that could be read published a usable figure; 13 published none and are recorded as not published, never filled in; 0 could not be read (blocked, dead or unreachable) and count nowhere. The headline figures (median, minimum, maximum, quartiles) are over ONE figure per source in count (a source's median where its page yielded several accepted sentences), so N counts sources, never sentences; 6 candidate sentence(s) were refused by a reviewer with the reason recorded. The fuller derivation this dataset is chartered to grow into (not yet what the figures above are; they are each source's own published figure as read): the monthly count of company insolvencies and administration appointments as the distressed off-market flow, the register-search method stated once, and the RAO article 70 and SIP 16 rules stated with their authority pages
The process
- Step 1 Tell us the sector, the area, the price range and whether you would buy the shares or the assets. Two minutes, no account.
- Step 2 Joseph Ellul reads the brief himself. Nothing is passed to a broker, a panel or a marketing list.
- Step 3 You get a reply about what a search for that brief involves. Ask questions, carry on, or do nothing.
This is a free information site run by Joseph Ellul. When you send a brief, he reads it and replies to you himself; it is not passed to any broker or firm, and you pay nothing to ask. The site carries no advertising, no sponsored placement and no affiliate links, and no firm in a table has paid to be there. Every figure is read from the named firm's or authority's own public page on the date shown. Nothing here is tax, legal, regulated or investment advice; check the source before you rely on a row.
Common questions
What is an off-market business sale?
A sale that is agreed without the business being listed for sale: the buyer approaches the owner directly, or is introduced by an accountant, a broker's private list or an insolvency practitioner.
How do you find off-market businesses for sale in the UK?
Write down what you want to buy, list the companies that fit from the Companies House register, and approach the directors by letter. Advisers who act for sellers and insolvency practitioners are the other two routes.
How many UK companies go into insolvency each month?
1,882 in England and Wales in September 2026 and 1,946 in August 2026, from the Insolvency Service's monthly figures.(UK Off-Market Routes and Rules)
Who answers an enquiry from this page?
Joseph Ellul, who runs this site, reads every brief himself and replies directly. It is not passed to any broker or firm, and your details are not sold or shared with anyone.
Related guides
Each one cites where its numbers come from.
How to find off market businesses for sale in the UK
How to find off market businesses for sale in the UK: the buy box, the Companies House register, the direct letter, advisers' private lists and insolvency sales.
Off market deals UK: the monthly insolvency count
Off market deals in the UK from insolvency: the monthly count of registered company insolvencies in England and Wales, read from the Insolvency Service's releases.
Sources
This site's own dataset, every figure quoted from its source and dated:
- The UK Off Market Routes and Rules carries 2 published figures read from 2 sources' own pages, from 1,882 to 1,946 count, read 28 October 2026.
- The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001
- The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001
- FCA Handbook
- Sorry, something is wrong
- Technical Library - R3
- The Administration (Restrictions on Disposal etc. to Connected Persons) Regulations 2021
- Insolvency notices
- All notices