How to avoid merging two similarly named suppliers
Directory search rewards tidy single records, but two companies with a shared word or brand may be unrelated. A mistaken merge contaminates addresses, certificates and reviews at once.
What the primary source can establish
The UK Companies House search is the first-party reference for this guide. Companies House offers company search and access to company information and filing images. It does not investigate or endorse any named supplier on Source Ledger. The steps below are our editorial method for making a buyer-facing field more precise.
A field-level check
Compare legal numbers, jurisdictions, exact names and filing histories before merging. Keep an alias table with the source of each variant. If a supplier asserts common ownership, ask for a document that names the entities and relationship.
Write down the exact field, the party that supplied the information, the original document or page, the date seen and the scope of the check. If a reviewer took an action, record that action rather than a general “verified” label. Reopen the source when the transaction or underlying document changes.
Where the inference stops
A matching logo, product category or sales contact is insufficient identity evidence. A parent company and a subsidiary should also keep separate legal records even when the group relationship is established.
A missing answer is a question to resolve, not permission to substitute a guess. Separate a statement by the supplier from a public record and from a documented human review. No source in this article proves a quality ranking or an existing buyer relationship.
What to record before deciding
Use separate records until the relationship is supported. Add a visible relationship field rather than copying one entity's proof onto another.
This entry describes how to evaluate evidence. It is not a dossier for a real company, an approval decision or a substitute for transaction-specific professional review.
Common question
Can a shared brand make two registrations one supplier?
It can suggest a connection, but it does not erase the two legal identities or transfer one entity's evidence to the other.
Related guide
Continue with How to document a manufacturer, affiliate and distributor chain for another field-level check.