The independence check, counted
How many genuine independents are there in Leeds? What we found, area by area.
We only publish a business after checking who controls it. This page shows that work: every business we've looked at in the 19 areas of Leeds we cover, and what happened to each one. Counted 8 November 2026.
Of the businesses we've decided on so far, 16% turned out to be a chain, a franchise or part of a multi-site operator, and 1% had closed or been dissolved by the time we looked. We never name a business we excluded: that's a decision under our listing policy, not a public verdict on a company.
Area by area
| Area | Looked at | Promoted | Excluded | Chain or multiple | Closed | Out of scope | In queue | Live now | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armley | 328 | 260 | 68 | 59 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 74 | 74 |
| Beeston | 161 | 124 | 37 | 29 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 57 | 57 |
| Bramley | 178 | 138 | 40 | 34 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 30 |
| Chapel Allerton | 181 | 145 | 36 | 14 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 83 | 83 |
| Cross Gates | 266 | 201 | 65 | 61 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 42 |
| Garforth | 166 | 127 | 39 | 33 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 27 | 27 |
| Guiseley | 156 | 119 | 37 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 30 |
| Harehills | 490 | 438 | 52 | 45 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 150 | 150 |
| Headingley | 181 | 135 | 45 | 30 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 78 | 78 |
| Horsforth | 137 | 108 | 29 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 97 | 97 |
| Kirkstall | 79 | 58 | 21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 35 |
| Meanwood | 50 | 36 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 32 |
| Moortown | 170 | 144 | 26 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 19 |
| Morley | 316 | 264 | 52 | 40 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 89 | 89 |
| Oakwood | 66 | 49 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Otley | 271 | 221 | 50 | 41 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 62 | 62 |
| Pudsey | 271 | 231 | 40 | 35 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 60 | 60 |
| Wetherby | 92 | 68 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 29 |
| Yeadon | 201 | 157 | 44 | 39 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 28 | 28 |
| All 19 areas | 3760 | 3023 | 736 | 605 | 27 | 104 | 1 | 1036 | 1036 |
What these words mean
- Looked at
- Every business we've found in the area from the public sources we read, whatever happened next. It isn't every business in the area, only the ones we've reached so far.
- Promoted
- We found no chain, franchise or multi-site owner, so we drafted a page. A person still decides whether it's published, which is why "promoted" and "live now" are different numbers.
- Excluded
- We decided against a page, and recorded why: a chain, franchise or multi-site operator; closed or dissolved by the time we looked; or out of scope — outside the area, or not a kind of business we list. The reason shown is the latest one recorded.
- In queue
- Discovered, not yet decided. Nothing about these is public until it is.
- Live now and checked
-
Pages you can open today, and how many of them have had their independence confirmed.
Independence is checked, never bought, and checked again from time to time.
Some pages never went through this queue — an area added by hand, or a business we wrote up directly — so "live now" can be higher than "promoted". Their independence was confirmed the same way.
How to read it, and how not to
These are counts of what we've looked at, not a survey of an area. A high "chain or multiple" figure says as much about the sources we read as about the high street. The numbers change as we work through the queue, so quote them with the date above. No business paid to appear in, or stay out of, any column.
How trust works here explains how we check. If a number looks wrong, tell us. It's free.