March is busiest month for UK startup address sign-ups

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Hoxton Mix has published an analysis of more than 29,000 virtual office and registered address sign-ups, showing that UK industries tend to establish new business presences at different times of year. The data identifies March as the busiest month overall.

The London-based provider examined 29,070 subscriptions recorded between 2017 and May 2026 and grouped businesses across 21 industry sectors by their primary UK Standard Industrial Classification code. The figures suggest there is no single national startup season, with sector patterns differing sharply across the economy.

March produced 2,951 sign-ups and was the peak month for six sectors: Information & Communication, with 892 sign-ups; Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities, with 833; Wholesale & Retail Trade, with 719; Real Estate, with 275; Healthcare, with 125; and Finance, with 107.

That concentration suggests the spring surge was driven mainly by service-led and knowledge-focused parts of the economy. Those sectors account for more than half of the startup activity covered in the analysis.

Different rhythms

Outside March, the pattern becomes more fragmented. May was the annual peak for six further sectors, including Manufacturing, with 127 sign-ups; Transport & Storage, with 101; Agriculture, with 13; Mining & Quarrying, with six; Household Activities, with 24; and Other Service Activities, with 176.

Several industries peaked at other points in the year. Administrative & Support Services reached its highest level in January with 429 sign-ups, while Accommodation & Food Services also peaked that month with 107.

Education and Arts & Recreation followed a different timetable, with both reaching their high point in April. The figures showed 130 sign-ups for Education and 144 for Arts & Recreation in that month.

Construction stood apart from the wider trend, reaching its annual high in August with 228 sign-ups. It was one of the few major sectors not to peak during spring.

Sector timing

The findings point to different operating cycles across industries rather than a single moment when founders are most likely to set up. Businesses tied to project pipelines, seasonal demand or professional services appear to choose different points in the calendar when arranging a registered or virtual office address.

The data is based on subscriptions for virtual offices and registered addresses rather than total UK company incorporations, so it reflects behaviour among firms choosing that type of business presence. Even so, the scale of the dataset offers a view of how timing differs between sectors.

The records span nearly a decade, covering subscription activity from 2017 onwards. Using SIC classifications, Hoxton Mix mapped sign-up volumes against each month of the year to identify recurring peaks.

For information and communication businesses, the numbers suggest spring remains the strongest period for setting up an address presence. Professional services and retail businesses showed a similar pattern, reinforcing March as the busiest point of the year for a large share of service-based activity.

By contrast, January appears to hold more appeal for some operational and customer-facing sectors. Administrative and support services, along with hospitality-related businesses, recorded their highest sign-up levels at the start of the calendar year.

Construction’s August peak marks one of the clearest breaks from that pattern. The timing may reflect the sector’s own commercial cycle, which differs from office-based and consumer-facing businesses.

A brief explanation accompanied the release of the figures.

“New founders often ask when the best time is to start a business, but our data suggests that’s the wrong question. The real question is: when is the best time to start your type of business? Technology founders appear to launch in spring, construction businesses build momentum later in the year and hospitality businesses often favour January. These aren’t random patterns – they reflect the different commercial cycles, customer demand and opportunities within each industry. It’s a reminder that successful founders aren’t simply following the calendar. They’re timing their launch to give themselves the strongest possible start,” said Chris Sees, Chief Executive Officer, Hoxton Mix.