New businesses in Essex — October 2026
Auspector ·
Between September 27 and October 27, 2026, 926 business records in Essex entered our newly opened businesses section — fifth among the UK’s 150 counties, ahead of Kent, which has more records. Colchester received the most of any Essex town (88), followed by Chelmsford (72) and Harlow (62).
How many new businesses open in Essex?
926 Essex records entered our newly opened businesses section between September 27 and October 27, 2026, about 31 a day, from 93,404 records in our database. Essex is fifth among the UK’s 150 counties by new records, ahead of Kent (877), which has more records in our database (104,357).
Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock are unitary authorities with pages of their own — Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock — so they are not in the Essex figures. Together they received 193 new records in the same window (Southend-on-Sea 88 and Thurrock 105).
Which Essex towns get the most new businesses?
| Town | New records | All records | New per 1,000 records | Phone | Website information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colchester | 88 | 9,887 | 8.9 | 78.3% | 65.7% |
| Chelmsford | 72 | 7,571 | 9.5 | 80.9% | 67.6% |
| Harlow | 62 | 4,836 | 12.8 | 82.6% | 62.8% |
| Basildon | 48 | 5,508 | 8.7 | 80.6% | 62.0% |
| Brentwood | 35 | 3,396 | 10.3 | 81.3% | 65.7% |
| Billericay | 25 | 2,020 | 12.4 | 84.2% | 62.4% |
| Braintree | 24 | 2,916 | 8.2 | 82.3% | 65.1% |
| Wickford | 22 | 2,096 | 10.5 | 87.2% | 60.0% |
| Clacton-on-Sea | 20 | 2,614 | 7.7 | 76.7% | 57.0% |
| Loughton | 19 | 2,016 | 9.4 | 84.8% | 68.0% |
| Canvey Island | 19 | 1,684 | 11.3 | 85.3% | 58.7% |
| Witham | 19 | 1,661 | 11.4 | 84.5% | 64.2% |
| Rayleigh | 16 | 2,062 | 7.8 | 85.3% | 64.2% |
| Saffron Walden | 15 | 1,646 | 9.1 | 79.6% | 66.8% |
| Maldon | 12 | 1,710 | 7.0 | 80.6% | 66.0% |
No single town carries the county: Colchester, the leader, received 88, against 72 in Chelmsford and 62 in Harlow. The biggest climber is Billericay: tenth by records in our database, sixth by new ones (25). Relative to size, Harlow (12.8) and Billericay (12.4) lead, in new records per 1,000; Clacton-on-Sea (7.7) and Maldon (7.0) are lowest.
Which sectors are opening?
| Sector | New records | All records | New per 1,000 records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hair and beauty salons | 60 | 3,527 | 17.0 |
| Construction companies | 24 | 2,544 | 9.4 |
| Auto repair shops | 24 | 1,463 | 16.4 |
| Restaurants | 22 | 1,810 | 12.2 |
| Cafés | 15 | 974 | 15.4 |
| Supermarkets and grocery stores | 10 | 1,189 | 8.4 |
| Gyms and fitness studios | 6 | 665 | 9.0 |
| Car dealers | 5 | 579 | 8.6 |
| Bars and pubs | <5 | 643 | — |
| Real estate agencies | <5 | 628 | — |
| Dentists and dental clinics | <5 | 454 | — |
| Clothing stores | <5 | 425 | — |
| Bakeries and pastry shops | <5 | 317 | — |
| Pharmacies | <5 | 278 | — |
Hair and beauty salons dominate: 60 new records, 2.5 times the next sectors, construction companies and auto repair shops (24 each). Relative to size that is 17.0 new salon records per 1,000 — the highest for this sector of the six counties in this series (next: Kent, 12.1). Next by rate among sectors with 15 or more new records: auto repair shops (16.4) and cafés (15.4). Six sectors had fewer than five new records, among them estate agents, pharmacies and dental practices.
Essex and its neighbours
| County | New records | All records | New per 1,000 records | Rank by new records (of 150) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex | 926 | 93,404 | 9.9 | 5 |
| Hertfordshire | 774 | 75,290 | 10.3 | 8 |
| Suffolk | 419 | 54,039 | 7.8 | 17 |
| Cambridgeshire | 382 | 43,414 | 8.8 | 21 |
| Thurrock | 105 | 9,359 | 11.2 | 73 |
| Southend-on-Sea | 88 | 11,228 | 7.8 | 82 |
Essex received the most new records of the six. Relative to size, Thurrock (11.2) and Hertfordshire (10.3) are ahead of it (9.9 per 1,000), and Southend-on-Sea (7.8) and Suffolk (7.8) are lowest. Greater London, on the county’s south-western edge, is a different scale: new businesses in London.
What it means if you sell to new businesses in Essex
- Salon wholesalers, booking software, card terminals. 60 new hair and beauty salons in 30 days, about 14 a week. More on the sector: new hair and beauty salons.
- Call lists. Of the six counties in this series, Essex has the highest share of records with a phone number: 80.7% of all records; in Wickford it is 87.2%. A listed number is no promise that someone answers, and the rules for business calls are the caller’s to check. A script for the first call: cold call script for new businesses.
- A county of towns. The five towns with the most new records each received between 35 and 88. A field round covers several of them rather than one centre; a saved search for the county brings each day’s new matches by email.
How to pull a list for Essex
- Location: United Kingdom, the county Essex, then a town such as Chelmsford or Harlow — the same address locality as in the table.
- Section and filters: newly opened businesses (the last 30 days, updated daily), then a sector or a narrower category. Categories are each record’s own, so “barber shop” or “tyre shop” can be a list of its own. Phone — has, for a call list; Website — none, for web design prospects.
- Count, then open: searching and counting are free on every plan; a credit is spent only when you first open a record, and a CSV or XLSX export counts as an open (pricing). Save the search and new matches arrive by email every day.