Best areas to open farm shop in East
24 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 farm shop in East?
In East, the best area to open a farm shop is Fenland, with a Gera Business Location Score of 65.5/100: premises at £38/m²/yr and local median pay £27,005. South Cambridgeshire ranks lowest of 24 East authorities at 31.2/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
East ranked for farm shop
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fenland | 65.5/100 | £38 | £27,005 | £1,642 |
| 2 | North Norfolk | 65.5/100 | £72 | £26,296 | £3,110 |
| 3 | Huntingdonshire | 62.8/100 | £21 | £32,441 | £907 |
| 4 | Maldon | 62.5/100 | £57 | £25,496 | £2,462 |
| 5 | East Suffolk | 58.8/100 | £55 | £30,821 | £2,376 |
| 6 | Breckland | 58.5/100 | £53 | £28,303 | £2,290 |
| 7 | King's Lynn and West Norfolk | 57.9/100 | £52 | £30,544 | £2,246 |
| 8 | Babergh | 57.8/100 | £69 | £25,785 | £2,981 |
| 9 | West Suffolk | 55.9/100 | £65 | £29,613 | £2,808 |
| 10 | Tendring | 55.8/100 | £70 | £27,067 | £3,024 |
| 11 | South Norfolk | 54.8/100 | £56 | £29,114 | £2,419 |
| 12 | East Hertfordshire | 54.7/100 | £49 | £32,293 | £2,117 |
| 13 | Bedford | 52.5/100 | £46 | £33,148 | £1,987 |
| 14 | Broadland | 51.5/100 | £48 | £32,576 | £2,074 |
| 15 | Central Bedfordshire | 50.6/100 | £58 | £30,963 | £2,506 |
| 16 | St Albans | 50.4/100 | £63 | £33,468 | £2,722 |
| 17 | Rochford | 49.9/100 | £83 | £26,706 | £3,586 |
| 18 | Mid Suffolk | 47.6/100 | £57 | £32,413 | £2,462 |
| 19 | Colchester | 43.9/100 | £85 | £31,056 | £3,672 |
| 20 | Braintree | 43.8/100 | £77 | £32,175 | £3,326 |
| 21 | Basildon | 39/100 | £92 | £32,050 | £3,974 |
| 22 | Thurrock | 37.1/100 | £92 | £34,388 | £3,974 |
| 23 | Chelmsford | 31.6/100 | £119 | £32,010 | £5,141 |
| 24 | South Cambridgeshire | 31.2/100 | £69 | £41,348 | £2,981 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for farm shop premises in East?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in East is £21/m²/yr in Huntingdonshire. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Fenland ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for farm shop in Fenland?
- For a 100 m² unit in Fenland, business rates are roughly £1,642/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £3,800/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a farm shop in 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).