Best areas to open cafe in North East
12 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 cafe or coffee shop in North East?
In North East, the best area to open a cafe or coffee shop is South Tyneside, with a Gera Business Location Score of 65.4/100: premises at £66/m²/yr and local median pay £25,490. Newcastle upon Tyne ranks lowest of 12 North East authorities at 56.3/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
North East ranked for cafe
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Tyneside | 65.4/100 | £66 | £25,490 | £2,851 |
| 2 | Redcar and Cleveland | 64/100 | £68 | £28,356 | £2,938 |
| 3 | Hartlepool | 63.3/100 | £75 | £28,204 | £3,240 |
| 4 | Northumberland | 63.1/100 | £88 | £27,769 | £3,802 |
| 5 | North Tyneside | 61.7/100 | £90 | £29,311 | £3,888 |
| 6 | County Durham | 61.6/100 | £90 | £29,393 | £3,888 |
| 7 | Darlington | 61/100 | £94 | £29,692 | £4,061 |
| 8 | Sunderland | 60.2/100 | £111 | £28,214 | £4,795 |
| 9 | Stockton-on-Tees | 60.1/100 | £104 | £29,537 | £4,493 |
| 10 | Middlesbrough | 60/100 | £103 | £29,502 | £4,450 |
| 11 | Gateshead | 57.1/100 | £145 | £28,507 | £6,264 |
| 12 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 56.3/100 | £140 | £31,786 | £6,048 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for cafe premises in North East?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in North East is £66/m²/yr in South Tyneside. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, South Tyneside ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for cafe in South Tyneside?
- For a 100 m² unit in South Tyneside, business rates are roughly £2,851/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £6,600/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a cafe or coffee shop 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).