UK sunbed shops up 47% since 2016, with most in lower-income regions, study finds

Mixed · 2The number of tanning shops in the UK has risen by 47 per cent since 2016, from 2,103 to 3,095, according to analysis by companydata.com. 1 2 Right · 1The total passed 3,000 for the first time this year. An average of 70 salons a year have opened since the pandemic, but 126 have opened since the start of January 2026. 2 Mixed · 2The North East of England has 233 salons. Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham, Darlington and Teesside postcodes have about 8.5 shops per 100,000 people, almost twice the national average of 4.5. 1 2

Right · 1Northern Ireland has 102 salons, or 5.3 per 100,000. At the other end are the South West (2.7 per 100,000), the South East (3.0) and London (3.2). 2 Mixed · 2Companydata.com says the four regions with the highest disposable income per head have the fewest salons per person. The North East has the lowest income per head in Britain and the most salons, while London has the highest income. 1 2 Right · 1Elsewhere in Europe the number of salons is flat or falling. Excluding the UK, Europe had 5,167 salons in 2016 and 4,650 now, a fall of 10 per cent, which makes Britain the only major European market still growing. 2

Left · 1Germany, the second largest market, fell from 2,286 salons to 1,929 (16%), and the Netherlands fell from 535 to 420 on 1 January 2026 (21%). The UK is now said to account for 40% of European salons found in the study. 1 Left · 1Cancer Research UK says sunbeds can cause cancer because UV rays damage the DNA in skin cells. 1 Mixed · 2Uttam Ramdaras, data analyst at companydata.com, said the growth is in the North East and North West rather than London or the Home Counties, and that the less people earn, the more sunbed shops there are. He added: "The data does not tell you why, but it tells you where." 1 2