Best areas to open builders merchant in Wales
19 Wales 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 Wales?
In Wales, the best area to open a builders merchant is Powys, with a Gera Business Location Score of 85.7/100: premises at £24/m²/yr and local median pay £26,839. Cardiff / Caerdydd ranks lowest of 19 Wales authorities at 51.1/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
Wales ranked for builders merchant
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Powys | 85.7/100 | £24 | £26,839 | £1,037 |
| 2 | Pembrokeshire / Sir Benfro | 75.8/100 | £25 | £26,535 | £1,080 |
| 3 | Ceredigion | 74.5/100 | £32 | £27,868 | £1,382 |
| 4 | Carmarthenshire / Sir Gaerfyrddin | 69.6/100 | £29 | £29,835 | £1,253 |
| 5 | Denbighshire / Sir Ddinbych | 67.7/100 | £39 | £27,011 | £1,685 |
| 6 | Gwynedd | 65.4/100 | £42 | £25,217 | £1,814 |
| 7 | Isle of Anglesey / Ynys Môn | 65.1/100 | £32 | £29,867 | £1,382 |
| 8 | Conwy | 65/100 | £38 | £26,961 | £1,642 |
| 9 | Wrexham / Wrecsam | 64.9/100 | £33 | £30,080 | £1,426 |
| 10 | Monmouthshire / Sir Fynwy | 63.8/100 | £46 | £32,805 | £1,987 |
| 11 | Caerphilly / Caerffili | 62.1/100 | £32 | £28,187 | £1,382 |
| 12 | Flintshire / Sir y Fflint | 62/100 | £37 | £34,480 | £1,598 |
| 13 | Newport / Casnewydd | 61/100 | £30 | £32,340 | £1,296 |
| 14 | Swansea / Abertawe | 60/100 | £34 | £31,348 | £1,469 |
| 15 | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 58.4/100 | £35 | £28,454 | £1,512 |
| 16 | Blaenau Gwent | 58.3/100 | £36 | £26,241 | £1,555 |
| 17 | Bridgend / Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr | 58/100 | £41 | £30,377 | £1,771 |
| 18 | Neath Port Talbot / Castell-nedd Port Talbot | 57.5/100 | £33 | £30,055 | £1,426 |
| 19 | Cardiff / Caerdydd | 51.1/100 | £55 | £33,599 | £2,376 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for builders merchant premises in Wales?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in Wales is £24/m²/yr in Powys. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Powys ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for builders merchant in Powys?
- For a 100 m² unit in Powys, business rates are roughly £1,037/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £2,400/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a builders merchant in Wales?
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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).