What retail and wholesale companies score, and why
We read the Companies House record of every live limited company in the UK the way a credit reference agency does. This is what 383,039 retail and wholesale companies look like on paper, as of September 2026.
How scores are spread
The median retail and wholesale company scores 60 and the mean is 60.2. Across every sector on the register the median is 69, so retail and wholesale sits below the national picture.
What holds retail and wholesale companies back
Four things account for most of the gap between a strong file and a weak one, and every one of them is visible to anybody who looks the company up.
| Finding | Retail and wholesale | All sectors |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmation statement overdue | 10.4% | 8.1% |
| Accounts overdue | 1.9% | 1.8% |
| Most recent accounts filed dormant | 8.4% | 11% |
| At least one outstanding charge | 6.3% | 12.7% |
| Trading under three years | 50.7% | 35% |
| Trading over ten years | 19.1% | 30.9% |
The figure worth dwelling on is secured borrowing. 6.3% of retail and wholesale companies have a charge registered against them — well under the 12.7% across every sector. A charge is not a black mark; it means somebody has lent against the company’s assets. But a new lender reading the file sees that the assets are already spoken for.
Questions people ask
What is a good credit score for a retail and wholesale company?
The median retail and wholesale company scores 60 out of 100 on its public record, and the average is 60.2. Anything above 72 puts a company in the stronger part of the sector. A score is only part of a lender's decision, but it is the part visible before anyone speaks to you.
How many retail and wholesale companies file late?
10.4% of retail and wholesale companies currently have an overdue confirmation statement and 1.9% have overdue accounts. Both are visible to anyone who looks the company up, and both are among the first things an automated credit decision reads.
Do retail and wholesale companies borrow on secured terms?
6.3% of retail and wholesale companies have at least one outstanding charge registered against them — well under the 12.7% across every sector. A charge is not a problem in itself, but it tells a new lender that someone else already holds security over the company's assets.
How is this measured?
Every live limited company on the Companies House register — 4,755,166 of them — is scored on the filing record published for all of them: accounts and confirmation statement deadlines, accounts type, registered charges, company age and status. Nothing is sampled or estimated. The data is published monthly by Companies House under the Open Government Licence.
See where your company sits
Free, no account needed. We read your Companies House record the way an agency does and show you your position among 383,039 retail and wholesale companies.
Check your companyOther sectors
- Property 593,291 companies · median 67
- Construction 274,889 companies · median 74
- Technology and media 266,633 companies · median 68
- Professional services 255,756 companies · median 74
- Hospitality 200,413 companies · median 61
- Financial services 184,086 companies · median 67
- Personal services 176,238 companies · median 74
- Business support 173,591 companies · median 79
Source: Companies House public register, September 2026, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scores are Standfile’s own analysis of the published filing record and are not a prediction of insolvency. Standfile is not a credit reference agency.