About Our Data and the Rules for Marketing to Businesses
We hold 1,486,280 UK business records in more than 2,000 business categories, with 1,219,031 named contacts and 454,737 named contact email addresses. This page explains what a record contains, what our counts mean, and the rules for using a business list for post, phone and email marketing.
What a record contains
A record can include the business name, postal address and postcode, telephone number, a named contact and their job title, business category and employee size band, a general company email address, the named contact's email address and a website. Not every record has every field. Each sector page shows how many records include each field, and your free count shows exactly what's available for the businesses you want.
What our counts mean
- Records are businesses or branches with a postal address. It's the first figure on every sector page.
- Named contacts are records that include a person's name, usually with a job title.
- General company emails are addresses such as info@ or enquiries@. Named contact emails belong to a named person. They're counted separately because the rules and the response are different.
- Official figures (regulators, registers, ONS, Companies House) measure the whole market. They count different things, such as registered people, premises or VAT-registered workplaces, so they won't match our counts. Each sector page explains the difference.
How the data is kept up to date
Records are checked by telephone researchers every day, and businesses that have closed or moved are updated or removed. Counts on this site were last updated in November 2026. We guarantee that at least 95% of the records you buy are accurate.
The rules for marketing to businesses
Business-to-business marketing is legal in the UK. Electronic marketing (calls, emails and texts) is governed by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), and any information about a named person by UK GDPR. PECR treats businesses in two ways:
| Channel | Sole traders and partnerships (individual subscribers) | Companies, LLPs, charities and public bodies (corporate subscribers) |
|---|---|---|
| Post | Allowed | Allowed |
| Live sales calls | Not to numbers on the TPS | Not to numbers on the CTPS |
| Marketing email and text | Prior consent needed (or the soft opt-in for your own customers) | Allowed if you identify yourself and offer an opt-out |
- Screen before every phone campaign against both the TPS and the CTPS, and keep your own do-not-call list.
- Always say who you are and give a simple way to opt out of further messages, and act on opt-outs promptly.
- Named contacts are personal data. Have a lawful basis (usually legitimate interests), tell people where you got their details, and stop if they object.
- Scottish partnerships are legal persons, so they're treated as corporate subscribers.
The Information Commissioner's Office has full guidance on direct marketing and PECR.
Delivery
Data is sent by secure email transfer in Excel or CSV format, usually within 24 hours of payment.
Questions? Email [email protected] or use the form on any sector page.