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Company Information
The Business, Science and Technology Library has sources of information about local, national and international companies.
Directories
Trade directories for the UK and overseas are available to find contact details, product information, names of directors, basic financial information etc. General titles include:
- Kompass Company Information Register - corporate information on around 44,000 companies with financial information taken from the last 3 years filed accounts for around 17,000 companies.
- Key British Enterprises - covers the top 50,000 companies, with sections for cross referencing by industry, location and export markets. Volume 4 has rankings by sales and employees numbers within county and industry. Company entries may give contact details, basic financial information, market, directors, parent and subsidiary companies.
- Britains Top Privately Owned Companies - the top 4,000 private companies ranked by sales turnover.
- Waterlow Stock Exchange Yearbook - profiles for all quoted companies and the top 1,000 unquoted companies. Each entry includes contact details, directors, company history, basic financial data for 5 eyars, registrars and advisers.
- Europes 15,000 Largest Companies.
Specialised directories are available including:
- Bankers Almanac & Yearbook
- Brewery Manual
- Retail Directory
- Grocer Directory of Manufacturers and Suppliers
For simply checking an address and telephone number a full set of telephone directories and Yellow Pages is available.
Access to these is also available via the internet:
To check the status of a company you can use the Companies House webcheck service. We also have the Companies House Directory on DVD, which allows for alphabetical, phonetic, enhanced and wild card searching. Combinations of search criteria can be used to search within the whole record.
Databases
We subscribe to the following databases:
FAME
A database providing detailed financial analysis and corporate information for over 2.6 million companies. The detailed company reports include trading addresses, profit and loss, balance sheet, ratios, ownership structure, names and addresses of directors, county court judgements etc. The database can also be searched by variable criteria such as number of employees, location, turnover, activity, date of incorporation, directors name etc to create lists of companies.
Kompass Worldwide
Profiles of companies in the UK and overseas. Includes number of employees, basic financial information for 3 years, executives, trade names, products etc. It can be searched using a variety of criteria to create customised lists. Limited information is also available on Kompass website.
Marketline
Has profiles of the worlds major companies including an overview, history, financial information, SWOT analysis etc.
Annual Reports
We keep printed copies of annual reports for Public Limited Companies who have a Sheffield registered office address plus other selected companies including IBM, Tesco, Body Shop. Company websites can sometimes include annual reports.
We are currently adding these to the library catalogue, but you can view a list of the companies covered by downloading the list from the bottom of this page.
Websites that offer free access to company annual reports online include:
Journals and newspapers
Background information on companies can be found in newspapers and trade magazines. Titles include:
- Campaign
- The Grocer
- Property Week
- Fortune
- Mintel Retail Briefings
- Financial Times
Find these and others on the library catalogue.
We subscribe to an online service called ANTE, this can be used to find articles in technical journals, including Building, Steel Times.
To identify journal titles we have the Willings Press Guide which can also be accessed by using KnowUK through our 24 hour services page. The Financial Times and other regional and national pages can be accessed on our NewsUK website through our 24 hour services page.
Company websites
A company website will often contain information such as history, contact details, product information and annual reports.
Trade Associations
Some organisations produce listings of their members and products, such as the Gauge and Toolmakers Association Buyers Guide.
Others make them available to non-members via the website, such as the Manufacturing Technologies Association.
To help you identify a trade association, we have the Directory of British Associations or you can use the website of the Trade Association Forum.
We have a limited range of Chamber of Commerce directories. However, sometimes lists of members and products are made available on the websites.
Exhibition Catalogues
We have a limited range of catalogues from trade fairs and exhibitions. The content varies, some give basic address and telephone details others give product information and personnel.
To find out what exhibitions are on we have the Exhibition Bulletin or you can use the Exhibitions website.
Company ownership
Who Owns Whom
Volume 1 lists companies by the ultimate parent company name. It gives details of head offices address, main area of activity by SIC and family tree of all subsidiaries with their country of incorporation.
Volume 2 lists the subsidiaries and shows the ultimate parent company.
FAME
A database providing detailed financial analysis and corporate information for over 2.6 million companies. The detailed company reports include corporate family trees.
The database can also be searched using variable criteria including subidiary and parent companies in the UK and overseas by country.
Executives
FAME
A database providing detailed financial anaylsis and corporate information for over 2.6 million companies. The detailed company reports include trading addresses, profit and loss, balance sheet, ratios, ownership structure, names and addresses of directors, county court judgments etc.
The database can also be searched by variable criteria such as number of employees, location, turnover, activity, date of incorporation, directors name etc to create lists of companies.
Kompass Company Information Register and Kompass Worldwide Database
Provide corporate information including names of directors and other executives.
Key British Enterprises
Covers the top 50,000 UK companies with sections for cross referencing by industry, location and export market. Volume 4 has rankings by sales and employee numbers within county and industry. Company entries may give contact details, basic financial information, market, directors, parent and subsidiary companies.
Waterlow Stock Exchange Yearbook
Profiles for all quoted companies and the top 1,000 unquoted companies. Each entry includes contact details, directors, company history, basic financial data for 5 years, registrars and advisors.
Specialised directories include:
- Bankers Almanac & Yearbook
- Brewery Manual
- Retail Directory
- Grocer Directory of Manufacturers and Suppliers
- Marketing Managers Yearbook
Please access the library catalogue to see what other titles are available.
Patents
Find out what new technology is being developed. Patents include information about how products work and contain detailed drawings. They can be searched by the name of the applicant company.
Find out about overseas companies
Kompass Worldwide
Profiles of companies, it includes number of employees, basic financials, executives, trade names, products etc. It can be searched using a variety of criteria to create customised lists. Limited information is also available on the Kompass website.
Europe's 15,000 largest companies
Gives contact details for companies which are ranked by turnover on a country by country basis. It also includes ranking lists for the largest companies by turnover profit, employees etc.
Who Owns Whom
Lists companies by the ultimate parent company name, giving head office address, main area of activity by SIC and family tree of all subsidiaries with their country of incorporation. Volumes cover Austrialia, Asia, Africa, Middle East, Continental Europe, North and South America.
FAME
This database can be used to identify foreign companies with UK based subsidiary or parent companies.
Some of the specialist directories have national coverage, eg
- Bankers Almanac
- Containerisation Yearbook - shipping, ports and terminals, road haulage associations, freight forwarding
- Railway Directory
- Iron & Steel Works of the World
- Metal Producers of the World
- Metal & Steel Traders of the World
- Iron & Steel Works of the World
- Retail Directory
- International Guide to the Coalfields
- Industrial Minerals Directory
- Jane's International ABC Aerospace Directory
- Harpers Wine & Spirit Directory
- Grocer Directory of Manufacturers and Suppliers
- Food Manufacturers Directory
- Glass/Glass Age International Directory
- PPCJ Yearbook
- Cosmetics International Worldwide Directory
- European Foundry Directory & Register of Forges
- European Plastics & Rubber Directory
- Directory of Western European Textiles
- International Leather Guide
Some specialist directories are available online, eg USA Thomas Register. We can help you identify these free web based directories.
Trade Associations
Some trade organisations produce listings of their members and products, that are available to non-members via their websites. We can help you to identify trade associations and other bodies.
Trade magazines
Some trade magazines, such as Steel Times International have international coverage. We subscribe to an online service called ANTE, which can be used to find articles in technical journals. We can help you to identify journal titles.
Exhibition catalogues
We have a limited range of catalogues from trade fairs and exhibitions. The content varies, some give basic address and telephone details and others give product information and personnel. Some include exhibitors from other countries. The Exhibition Bulletin produced monthly and kept in our department can tell you what exhibitions are on throughout the world.
Patents
Find out what new technology is being developed. Patents include information about how products work and include detailed drawings. They can be searched by the name of the applicant company,
Please note that the inclusion of any website or link on this page does not mean that they have been vetted or recommended by Sheffield City Council. It is important to make sure that you are happy that they are suitable for your own requirements.
Downloads
Public limited companies annual reports list (72 KB)
Public limited companies annual reports list. (65.7 KB)
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