Best areas to open builders merchant in North East
10 North East local authorities ranked by the Gera Business Location Score — real rent, wages, rates and market density.
Where is the best place to open a builders merchant in North East?
In North East, the best area to open a builders merchant is Gateshead, with a Gera Business Location Score of 70.8/100: premises at £35/m²/yr and local median pay £28,507. Redcar and Cleveland ranks lowest of 10 North East authorities at 54.2/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
Gera Business Location Score
Top North East area for builders merchant: Gateshead.
How this is calculatedNorth East ranked for builders merchant
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gateshead | 70.8/100 | £35 | £28,507 | £1,512 |
| 2 | Darlington | 61.4/100 | £33 | £29,692 | £1,426 |
| 3 | Northumberland | 61.4/100 | £46 | £27,769 | £1,987 |
| 4 | County Durham | 60.8/100 | £32 | £29,393 | £1,382 |
| 5 | Stockton-on-Tees | 59.6/100 | £39 | £29,537 | £1,685 |
| 6 | Hartlepool | 58.5/100 | £30 | £28,204 | £1,296 |
| 7 | Middlesbrough | 56.8/100 | £40 | £29,502 | £1,728 |
| 8 | Sunderland | 56.5/100 | £42 | £28,214 | £1,814 |
| 9 | North Tyneside | 55.9/100 | £45 | £29,311 | £1,944 |
| 10 | Redcar and Cleveland | 54.2/100 | £45 | £28,356 | £1,944 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for builders merchant premises in North East?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in North East is £30/m²/yr in Hartlepool. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Gateshead ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for builders merchant in Gateshead?
- For a 100 m² unit in Gateshead, business rates are roughly £1,512/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £3,500/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a builders merchant in North East?
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Contains public sector information published by Valuation Office Agency and Office for National Statistics and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: VOA Business Floorspace + ONS Business Counts + ONS ASHE (work geography) + ONS population estimates (2025 (VOA 31 March 2025; ASHE 2025 provisional; Business Counts 2025; population mid-2024), published December 2025).