From steel mills and car factories to technology firms, luxury retail, ports and clean energy, Indian businesses are leaving an increasingly powerful mark on Britain.
The relationship between the two countries is being shaped not only by diplomacy and trade, but by a new generation of Indian capital, entrepreneurship and ambition. Across Britain, Indian-owned companies are expanding, investing and creating jobs at a pace that underlines how dramatically the economic relationship has evolved.
The latest India Meets Britain Tracker, produced by Grant Thornton in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and India Global Forum (IGF), puts a number on that transformation. The number of Indian-owned companies operating in the UK rose by almost 60 per cent year-on-year to 1,912 in 2026.
Together, these businesses generated £105.77 billion in turnover, up from £72.14bn a year earlier. They employed 203,549 people across Britain and contributed £378 million in corporation tax.
A relationship being rewritten
For decades, Britain was a dominant economic power in India. Today, the direction of capital is increasingly flowing both ways.
The Tata Group is perhaps the clearest symbol of that transformation. Its interests stretch across British industry and consumer life, from Jaguar Land Rover and Tata Steel to Tetley, Tata Consultancy Services and Taj Hotels.
Jaguar Land Rover remains the largest Indian employer in the UK, followed by Tata Steel and Borelli Tea Holdings. Tata Motors’ acquisition of JLR in 2008 turned the Indian group into a cornerstone of Britain’s automotive industry, while Tata Steel is investing in the transition towards greener steelmaking, including at Port Talbot.
But the story is no longer simply about Tata.
A new generation of Indian giants
Reliance Industries has built a diverse British portfolio spanning retail, leisure and clean energy. Its UK investments include the historic Stoke Park estate in Buckinghamshire, battery technology company Faradion and the iconic British toy retailer Hamleys.
The Adani Group, meanwhile, is exploring a potential multi-billion-pound investment in Associated British Ports (ABP), Britain’s largest port operator. Such an investment would underline the growing willingness of Indian companies to participate in strategically important British infrastructure.
In technology, companies including HCL Technologies, Infosys, Wipro and LTIMindtree have established major operations and employ thousands of professionals across the country. In pharmaceuticals, companies such as Zydus and Sun Pharma are strengthening India’s presence in one of Britain’s most important sectors.
Ultimately, this story now extends beyond balance sheets. Indian-owned companies now employ more than 203,500 people, while 66 recorded revenue growth of at least 10%. Women’s representation among directors has also risen to 26%. Together, these trends reflect a larger, more diverse Indian corporate presence, increasingly woven into Britain’s economic fabric.
