Best areas to open cafe in East Midlands
35 East Midlands local authorities ranked by the Gera Business Location Score — real rent, wages, rates and market density.
Where is the best place to open a cafe or coffee shop in East Midlands?
In East Midlands, the best area to open a cafe or coffee shop is East Lindsey, with a Gera Business Location Score of 64.9/100: premises at £83/m²/yr and local median pay £26,724. Derby ranks lowest of 35 East Midlands authorities at 43.7/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
East Midlands ranked for cafe
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Lindsey | 64.9/100 | £83 | £26,724 | £3,586 |
| 2 | Melton | 64/100 | £80 | £26,700 | £3,456 |
| 3 | Erewash | 63.2/100 | £71 | £29,102 | £3,067 |
| 4 | Mansfield | 63.2/100 | £82 | £26,761 | £3,542 |
| 5 | Bassetlaw | 63.1/100 | £85 | £26,888 | £3,672 |
| 6 | Broxtowe | 62.9/100 | £85 | £27,113 | £3,672 |
| 7 | West Lindsey | 62.7/100 | £71 | £30,000 | £3,067 |
| 8 | Derbyshire Dales | 62.5/100 | £110 | £28,874 | £4,752 |
| 9 | Newark and Sherwood | 62.5/100 | £94 | £26,911 | £4,061 |
| 10 | Ashfield | 62.4/100 | £76 | £29,136 | £3,283 |
| 11 | High Peak | 62.3/100 | £94 | £28,463 | £4,061 |
| 12 | North East Derbyshire | 62.1/100 | £78 | £29,544 | £3,370 |
| 13 | Bolsover | 61.9/100 | £76 | £30,441 | £3,283 |
| 14 | South Holland | 61.5/100 | £95 | £27,809 | £4,104 |
| 15 | North West Leicestershire | 61.3/100 | £87 | £30,034 | £3,758 |
| 16 | Amber Valley | 60.7/100 | £90 | £31,100 | £3,888 |
| 17 | Harborough | 60.7/100 | £106 | £28,618 | £4,579 |
| 18 | West Northamptonshire | 60.4/100 | £79 | £33,147 | £3,413 |
| 19 | Leicester | 60.3/100 | £103 | £29,411 | £4,450 |
| 20 | South Kesteven | 60.3/100 | £110 | £28,724 | £4,752 |
| 21 | Boston | 60.2/100 | £122 | £26,187 | £5,270 |
| 22 | North Kesteven | 60/100 | £103 | £29,941 | £4,450 |
| 23 | Oadby and Wigston | 59.5/100 | £144 | £23,103 | £6,221 |
| 24 | North Northamptonshire | 59.3/100 | £102 | £31,027 | £4,406 |
| 25 | Rutland | 59.3/100 | £95 | £34,355 | £4,104 |
| 26 | South Derbyshire | 59.1/100 | £93 | £32,938 | £4,018 |
| 27 | Rushcliffe | 58.9/100 | £121 | £28,689 | £5,227 |
| 28 | Nottingham | 57.9/100 | £133 | £29,144 | £5,746 |
| 29 | Lincoln | 57.9/100 | £132 | £29,482 | £5,702 |
| 30 | Chesterfield | 57.4/100 | £131 | £30,962 | £5,659 |
| 31 | Charnwood | 57.2/100 | £120 | £32,435 | £5,184 |
| 32 | Gedling | 56.5/100 | £164 | £26,135 | £7,085 |
| 33 | Hinckley and Bosworth | 56.1/100 | £121 | £34,606 | £5,227 |
| 34 | Blaby | 55.4/100 | £133 | £33,327 | £5,746 |
| 35 | Derby | 43.7/100 | £259 | £35,179 | £11,189 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for cafe premises in East Midlands?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in East Midlands is £71/m²/yr in Erewash. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, East Lindsey ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for cafe in East Lindsey?
- For a 100 m² unit in East Lindsey, business rates are roughly £3,586/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £8,300/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
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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).