Best areas to open large distribution warehouse in South West
7 South West local authorities ranked by the Gera Business Location Score — real rent, wages, rates and market density.
Where is the best place to open a large distribution warehouse in South West?
In South West, the best area to open a large distribution warehouse is Swindon, with a Gera Business Location Score of 58.5/100: premises at £58/m²/yr and local median pay £32,933. Stroud ranks lowest of 7 South West authorities at 44.6/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
Gera Business Location Score
Top South West area for large distribution warehouse: Swindon.
How this is calculatedSouth West ranked for large distribution warehouse
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swindon | 58.5/100 | £58 | £32,933 | £2,506 |
| 2 | Somerset | 54/100 | £54 | £29,152 | £2,333 |
| 3 | Wiltshire | 47.5/100 | £67 | £30,000 | £2,894 |
| 4 | South Gloucestershire | 47.2/100 | £61 | £36,920 | £2,635 |
| 5 | East Devon | 46.6/100 | £76 | £31,874 | £3,283 |
| 6 | Bristol, City of | 44.7/100 | £59 | £36,652 | £2,549 |
| 7 | Stroud | 44.6/100 | £66 | £32,495 | £2,851 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for large distribution warehouse premises in South West?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in South West is £54/m²/yr in Somerset. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Swindon ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for large distribution warehouse in Swindon?
- For a 100 m² unit in Swindon, business rates are roughly £2,506/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £5,800/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a large distribution warehouse in South West?
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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).