- We hold 454,737 named contact emails and 257,860 general business emails across 1,486,280 UK business records.
- Under PECR you can email companies, LLPs and other corporate bodies from a bought list without consent, as long as you say who you are and give a working opt-out.
- You must not email sole traders or ordinary partnerships from a bought list unless they gave consent to you.
- A named email like jane.smith@ is personal data under UK GDPR, so send privacy information no later than one month after you get it, or in your first email if sooner.
- Email-only selections are priced like any other order: £170 to £295 per 1,000 records, minimum £300 plus VAT.
- Send from your own domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC, start with small batches and remove hard bounces straight away.
01
What is an email marketing database?
A B2B email marketing database is a list of businesses, each with an email address, a business name, a postal address and usually a named contact and job title. You use it to send your own offers by email. We hold 454,737 named contact emails and 257,860 general business emails.
Most people searching for a b2b email database want one thing: a list of the right businesses that they can put into their email software and write to. In practice the email address is only one column. The other columns are what let you pick the right businesses and write a relevant email:
- Business details. Name, full postal address, phone number and sector, so you can select by type and area.
- Named contact. First name, surname and job title, so you can open with a name and write for that role.
- Email address. Either a named contact email or a general business email (see the next section).
- Size. Number of employees and turnover band, so you can leave out businesses too small or too large to buy from you.
Every one of our 1,486,280 records has a postal address and phone number. Not every record has an email. If email is your only channel, ask us to select only the records with a named contact email, so you don't pay for rows you can't use. For how a full record is put together, see what a marketing database record contains.
Email marketing databases for B2B are usually sold per record, with a licence that says how long and how often you can use them. Check both before you compare prices.
Buying, renting or building your own
You can build a business email database yourself from websites and directories, but it takes time, and the same laws apply to data you collect as to data you buy. Buying gives you a ready list with a licence. Our licence runs for 12 months and covers as many campaigns as you like for your own business. The complete guide compares the options in buy, build or rent.
02
Named contact emails or general business emails?
A named contact email reaches a specific person (jane.smith@firm.co.uk), while a general business email goes to a shared inbox (info@ or office@). We hold 454,737 named contact emails and 257,860 general business emails. Named emails are more targeted; general emails are not personal data, so UK GDPR doesn't apply to them.
| Named contact email | General business email | |
|---|---|---|
| Example | jane.smith@firm.co.uk | info@firm.co.uk |
| Emails we hold | 454,737 | 257,860 |
| Who reads it | The person you selected by job title | Whoever checks the shared inbox |
| Personal data under UK GDPR? | Yes | No, if no person is named |
| PECR rules | Apply | Apply |
| Best for | Offers aimed at one role (finance, HR, owner) | General offers any staff member might pass on |
Pick named emails when your offer only makes sense to one person, such as a finance director or a practice manager. You can open with their name and write about their job. The price of that precision is extra paperwork: because a named email identifies a person, you need a lawful basis and must tell them where you got their details.
General emails suit offers that anyone in the business could act on or pass along. A shared inbox is often read by a receptionist or office manager, so make the subject line say clearly who the email is for.
A record can have a named email, a general email, both or neither. When you ask for a count, ask for each type separately so you know exactly what you're paying for.
03
Which businesses can you email from a bought list?
From a bought list you can email companies, limited liability partnerships, Scottish partnerships and other corporate bodies without consent. You can't email sole traders or ordinary partnerships unless they gave consent to you, because PECR treats them like private individuals.
PECR splits the people who receive your email into corporate subscribers and individual subscribers (ICO: business-to-business marketing). The email rule that bans unsolicited marketing without consent does not apply to corporate subscribers. It does apply to individual subscribers.
- Corporate subscribers: you can email. Limited companies, LLPs, Scottish partnerships, some government bodies and other bodies with their own legal identity. No consent needed, but say who you are and give a valid address to opt out.
- Individual subscribers: you can't, from a bought list. Sole traders, other partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and other unincorporated groups of people. You need consent given to you as the sender.
- The soft opt-in doesn't help here. It only covers people whose details you got during a sale or negotiation with them, so it never covers a bought list.
How many UK businesses does this rule out?
ONS counts 2,786,985 VAT or PAYE registered businesses in the UK (March 2026). Of those, 378,410 are sole proprietors and 156,030 are partnerships: 534,440 in total, or 19%. Most of them are individual subscribers you can't email from a bought list. ONS's legal-status groups don't match PECR's exactly (Scottish partnerships, for example, are corporate subscribers), so treat this as a rough guide. Very small sole traders that aren't registered for VAT or PAYE aren't in the ONS figures at all.
| Legal status | Businesses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Companies (including building societies) | 2,155,395 | 77% |
| Sole proprietors | 378,410 | 14% |
| Partnerships | 156,030 | 6% |
| Non-profit bodies and mutuals | 84,505 | 3% |
| Public sector (central and local government, public corporations) | 12,640 | under 1% |
The share varies a lot by sector. ONS figures show most farms, and many GP practices, are sole traders or partnerships, while almost no schools or software firms are. If your audience is mostly self-employed, email is the wrong channel for a bought list. Use post, which isn't covered by PECR, or screened phone calls. See email, phone and post.
What if you can't tell?
A record that says "Ltd" or "LLP" in the business name is easy. A trading name like "Smith Plumbing" is not. The ICO's advice is that if you can't tell whether an address belongs to a corporate or individual subscriber, treat it as an individual subscriber and don't email it. A quick check of the name on the Companies House register settles most cases.
04
Which sectors have the most named contact emails?
The sectors with the most named contact emails in our data are schools, accountants, estate agents and care homes. The share of records with a named email varies from sector to sector, so always ask for a count before you plan an email-only campaign.
| Sector | Records | Named contact emails | Share with a named email |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schools | 26,821 | 18,732 | 70% |
| Accountants | 16,595 | 8,064 | 49% |
| Estate agents | 13,965 | 7,606 | 54% |
| Care homes | 17,946 | 7,492 | 42% |
| Pubs | 22,126 | 6,929 | 31% |
| Garages | 21,129 | 6,890 | 33% |
| Nurseries | 13,586 | 6,322 | 47% |
| Recruitment agencies | 11,107 | 4,786 | 43% |
| Charities | 12,546 | 4,388 | 35% |
| Hairdressers | 24,135 | 4,386 | 18% |
| Electricians | 12,149 | 4,189 | 34% |
| Car dealers | 12,573 | 4,162 | 33% |
Two things stand out. First, a big sector doesn't always mean a big email list: some sectors have plenty of records but a low share of named emails, so an email-only selection shrinks a lot. Second, several sectors in the table are full of small businesses. Before you email them, check which are limited companies and which are sole traders or partnerships, for the reasons in the section above.
These are records we hold, not the size of each market. For every sector and selection, see how to choose the right data in the complete guide.
05
How much does an email marketing database cost?
An email marketing database costs the same per record as any other selection: £170 to £295 per 1,000 records depending on the order size, with a £300 plus VAT minimum. For example, 7,606 estate agents with a named contact email cost £1,863.47 plus VAT.
When you buy an email database from us, you pay per record, and the rate depends on how many records are in the whole order. Selecting only records with a named contact email cuts the number of records, so you only pay for rows you can email.
| Selection | Records | Rate per 1,000 | Price ex VAT | Price inc VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solicitors with a named contact email | 3,865 | £270 | £1,043.55 | £1,252.26 |
| Estate agents with a named contact email | 7,606 | £245 | £1,863.47 | £2,236.16 |
| Schools with a named contact email | 18,732 | £220 | £4,121.04 | £4,945.25 |
| Every named contact email we hold | 454,737 | £170 | £77,305.29 | £92,766.35 |
Each record still comes with every field we hold, so you get the postal address and phone number too. That means the businesses you can't email (sole traders and ordinary partnerships) can still go into a letter campaign or, once screened, a call list.
Try your own numbers in the price calculator, or read the full price bands in how much a marketing database costs.
06
How do you get bought emails delivered, and what must the first one say?
To get a bought list delivered to inboxes, send from your own domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up, start with small batches, keep to one offer per email and make unsubscribing easy. Your first email to a named contact must also tell them where you got their details.
Set up before you send
- Your own domain. Send from an address on your business domain, not a free webmail account. Mailbox providers judge you by your domain's history.
- SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Three DNS records that prove the email really comes from you. Your email platform will show you what to add; your web or IT provider can add them in minutes.
- A separate sending address. Many businesses send campaigns from a subdomain (for example news.yourfirm.co.uk), so day-to-day email isn't affected if a campaign goes badly.
- Remove who you shouldn't email. Take out existing customers you email separately, anyone who has opted out before, and records you think are sole traders or partnerships.
Sending the campaign
- Start small. Send to a few hundred records first, then grow the batches over the following days and weeks. A sudden large send from a quiet domain looks like spam.
- One offer per email. One clear reason to reply, written for the job title you selected. Short plain text often lands better than heavy design.
- Say who you are. Your business name, a real reply address and a postal address. PECR bans disguising or hiding your identity.
- Plain unsubscribe. A clear opt-out link or reply option in every email. Honour it at once and add the address to your do-not-email list.
- Remove hard bounces. An address that hard-bounces doesn't exist. Remove it straight away and don't send to it again.
What the first email to a named contact must say
A named email is personal data, and you got it from us rather than from the person. Under Article 14 of UK GDPR you must give them privacy information within a reasonable period and no later than one month after you get the data, or in your first email to them if that's sooner (UK GDPR Article 14). In practice, put a short note in the first email:
- who you are and how to contact you
- that you got their business details from a data supplier, and what kind of details (name, job title, work email)
- why you're contacting them (your legitimate interest in offering your services to businesses like theirs)
- that they can object at any time, with a simple way to do it
- a link to your full privacy notice
The right to object to direct marketing is absolute: once someone says stop, you stop. For the lawful basis itself, see database compliance under UK GDPR and PECR.
Tracking pixels and PECR
Most email platforms track opens with a tiny invisible image. The ICO says the PECR rules on cookies and similar technologies apply to tracking pixels in marketing emails, whatever type of business you're sending to (ICO: business-to-business marketing). Before you switch on open tracking, check your platform's settings and the ICO's guidance on storage and access technologies. If in doubt, turn it off and judge the campaign on replies, clicks to your site and enquiries.
07
How do you buy an email marketing database, step by step?
To buy an email marketing database: decide who should get your email, ask for a free count of named and general emails, check the legal status of those businesses, look at sample records, get a written quote, then prepare your sending domain and privacy wording before your first send.
- Write down the job title you want to reach. Email works best aimed at one role. Choose the title first, then the sector, area and size.
- Ask for a free count by email type. Ask how many records match, how many have a named contact email and how many have a general business email.
- Check who you can email. Work out which businesses are limited companies, LLPs or other corporate bodies ("Ltd" or "LLP" in the name, or a quick Companies House search). Plan post or phone for the rest.
- Check sample records. Ask for sample rows in your selection. Look at the job titles and the email formats.
- Get a written quote. Check the price against the bands. The minimum order is £300 plus VAT, and data usually arrives in Excel or CSV within 24 hours of payment.
- Set up your domain and wording. SPF, DKIM and DMARC in place, privacy wording written, unsubscribe working and your do-not-email list loaded.
- Import, remove and send a test batch. Import into your email platform, remove existing customers and opt-outs, then send to a few hundred records and watch for bounces and replies.
Whoever you buy email database records from, ask the same questions: how many named and general emails match, how the records are checked, what the licence allows and what accuracy is guaranteed.
For the wider buying process across every channel, see how to buy a database for marketing. To start with step 2, use the free count form below.
08
Email marketing database: FAQs
Can I buy an email database in the UK?
Yes. You can buy an email database of UK businesses and use it for your own marketing, as long as you follow PECR and UK GDPR. Our data comes with a 12-month multi-use licence, so you can send as many campaigns as you like to it during that year.
Is it legal to email a bought list of businesses?
Yes, for companies, LLPs, Scottish partnerships and other corporate bodies. PECR doesn't require their consent, but you must say who you are and give a valid opt-out. It's not legal to email sole traders or ordinary partnerships from a bought list without their consent. See the law in the complete guide.
Why can't I email sole traders?
PECR treats sole traders and ordinary partnerships (outside Scotland) like private individuals. Marketing emails to them need consent given to you as the sender, or the soft opt-in, which only covers your own customers and enquirers. A bought list has neither. You can still write to them by post.
How much does an email marketing database cost?
£170 to £295 per 1,000 records depending on the size of the whole order, with a £300 plus VAT minimum. For example, 3,865 solicitors with a named contact email cost £1,043.55 plus VAT.
How many business email addresses do you hold?
454,737 named contact emails and 257,860 general business emails, across 1,486,280 UK business records. Counts were updated in November 2026.
Do I need consent to email a named person at a limited company?
Not under PECR, because the company is a corporate subscriber. But the person's name and work email are personal data under UK GDPR, so you need a lawful basis (usually legitimate interests), must tell them where you got their details, and must stop if they object.
Is a b2b email database different from a consumer email list?
Yes. A B2B list holds business details and work email addresses. Consumer email marketing needs consent from each person, so a bought consumer list can't be used for unsolicited email. Our data covers businesses only.
Can I use a bought email list in Mailchimp or another email platform?
Many email platforms have their own rules about bought lists, and some don't allow them at all. Read your platform's terms before you import. Some businesses use a platform built for cold B2B outreach, or send from their own email system in small batches.
Will my emails go to spam?
They can if you send from a new domain, send too much too quickly or skip SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Start small, send from your own domain, keep the email plain and relevant, and remove hard bounces straight away. Nobody can promise inbox placement.
Do you check that the email addresses work?
Our records are checked by telephone researchers every day, and we guarantee that at least 95% of the records you buy are accurate. Remove any address that hard-bounces from your first send.
Can I email the same list more than once?
Yes. The 12-month licence covers as many campaigns as you like for your own business. Remove everyone who opts out after each send and keep them on your do-not-email list.