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How to open a dark kitchen in the UK 2026
Dark kitchens make up around 15% of all food retailers on the major delivery platforms in England, according to publicly funded research led by Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield. That is one food outlet in seven, and…
How to open a bubble tea shop in the UK 2026
The VAT rate on a cold bubble tea sold to take away has never been settled. It is a beverage, and beverages are standard-rated, unless the drink counts as tea, in which case it is zero-rated. The Association of Taxation…
How to open a dog day care in the UK 2026
UK Pet Food's 2026 Pet Population Survey, based on 8,951 online interviews carried out in January 2026, estimates 15.5 million dogs in UK households, against 12.5 million five years earlier. Commercial dog day care has been a licensable activity in…
How to open a cleaning business in the UK in 2026
No licence is required to start a cleaning business in the UK. That makes it one of the cheapest trades to enter and one of the easiest to get wrong, because the rules that bite are employment rules rather than…
How to open a nursery in the UK in 2026
Providing childcare without being registered with Ofsted is a criminal offence, and so is operating from premises Ofsted has not approved. Registration costs £220 and takes around 12 weeks. Everything that makes a nursery expensive sits elsewhere: the premises, the…
How to open a care agency in the UK in 2026
Registering a care agency with the Care Quality Commission costs nothing to apply for. What it costs instead is time, and a registered manager on the payroll months before the first invoice, because the CQC assesses named individuals and can…
How to open a gym in the UK in 2026
A record 12.2 million people aged 16 and over belong to a UK health and fitness club, 18% of that population, on the UK Health & Fitness Market Report 2026 published in April by ukactive with Sport England. No licence…
How to open a pizzeria in the UK in 2026
In the UK a pizzeria with tables and a pizza takeaway are not the same thing in planning law. One sits inside Use Class E, the other is sui generis and needs permission in its own right. That distinction shapes…
How to open a bakery in the UK in 2026: costs, licences and VAT
Bakery product retailing in the UK is estimated at £4.0 billion across 4,310 businesses, and British Baker's Bakery Market Report 2026 recorded out-of-home bakery turnover up 4.1% over the year. Opening a bakery turns on four things: the site, the…
How to open a coffee shop in the UK in 2026: steps, licences and costs
The UK's branded coffee shop market is estimated at £6.8 billion across 12,313 outlets on the most recent annual industry survey, a fifth consecutive year of growth. Behind that headline, opening a coffee shop turns on four things: the site,…
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