Where to find market information? No. of stores, sales etc

[JaFool1]

Hi,

I was wondering if there is a specific website or agency that provides this type information.

For example, say I was looking to find the number of independent bicycle retailers in London or the whole of the UK?

Or the amount of house alarm systems sold in the UK in year? Or a specific make, say Yale?

I always see this type of information displayed on news stories and documentaries so I guess there must some sort of agency that provides this? I am not 100% sure where to start looking.

Any ideas?

[StevieBee]

http://www.mintel.com

Will cost but the information is very good.

If you know anyone at University, they may be able to get student discounts on the reports/

[Tallow]

If you have a local university with a half decent business school, you might also be able to get an intern to do the research as part of a larger project.

Your local BIS office can sometimes be quite handy with finding you a source for this sort of thing too.