Best areas to open office-based business in North West
35 North West local authorities ranked by the Gera Business Location Score — real rent, wages, rates and market density.
Where is the best place to open an office-based business in North West?
In North West, the best area to open an office-based business is Blackpool, with a Gera Business Location Score of 64.2/100: premises at £66/m²/yr and local median pay £27,064. Manchester ranks lowest of 35 North West authorities at 50.4/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
Gera Business Location Score
Top North West area for office-based business: Blackpool.
How this is calculatedNorth West ranked for office-based business
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool | 64.2/100 | £66 | £27,064 | £2,851 |
| 2 | Burnley | 64.2/100 | £65 | £27,128 | £2,808 |
| 3 | Rossendale | 64.2/100 | £66 | £27,288 | £2,851 |
| 4 | Hyndburn | 64/100 | £66 | £27,323 | £2,851 |
| 5 | Sefton | 63.3/100 | £79 | £27,006 | £3,413 |
| 6 | Wyre | 63.1/100 | £77 | £27,657 | £3,326 |
| 7 | Pendle | 63/100 | £75 | £28,099 | £3,240 |
| 8 | Tameside | 62.6/100 | £86 | £27,115 | £3,715 |
| 9 | St. Helens | 62.3/100 | £81 | £28,468 | £3,499 |
| 10 | Blackburn with Darwen | 62.2/100 | £69 | £30,572 | £2,981 |
| 11 | Lancaster | 62.2/100 | £79 | £29,091 | £3,413 |
| 12 | Wirral | 62.2/100 | £81 | £28,840 | £3,499 |
| 13 | Wigan | 62.1/100 | £87 | £28,003 | £3,758 |
| 14 | Chorley | 61.6/100 | £86 | £29,415 | £3,715 |
| 15 | Bolton | 61.4/100 | £99 | £27,696 | £4,277 |
| 16 | Oldham | 61.4/100 | £96 | £27,990 | £4,147 |
| 17 | Rochdale | 61.4/100 | £89 | £29,036 | £3,845 |
| 18 | West Lancashire | 61.4/100 | £91 | £28,909 | £3,931 |
| 19 | Westmorland and Furness | 60.8/100 | £75 | £32,683 | £3,240 |
| 20 | Preston | 60.8/100 | £74 | £32,655 | £3,197 |
| 21 | Knowsley | 60.7/100 | £76 | £32,181 | £3,283 |
| 22 | Bury | 60.3/100 | £105 | £29,060 | £4,536 |
| 23 | Cheshire West and Chester | 60/100 | £100 | £30,636 | £4,320 |
| 24 | South Ribble | 59.8/100 | £104 | £30,126 | £4,493 |
| 25 | Stockport | 59.7/100 | £120 | £28,296 | £5,184 |
| 26 | Halton | 59.5/100 | £92 | £32,465 | £3,974 |
| 27 | Cumberland | 59.2/100 | £79 | £34,890 | £3,413 |
| 28 | Trafford | 58.3/100 | £119 | £31,516 | £5,141 |
| 29 | Fylde | 58.2/100 | £82 | £36,962 | £3,542 |
| 30 | Cheshire East | 58/100 | £111 | £33,200 | £4,795 |
| 31 | Warrington | 57.5/100 | £107 | £34,719 | £4,622 |
| 32 | Liverpool | 57.5/100 | £110 | £33,648 | £4,752 |
| 33 | Ribble Valley | 55.9/100 | £81 | £41,474 | £3,499 |
| 34 | Salford | 53.5/100 | £153 | £34,741 | £6,610 |
| 35 | Manchester | 50.4/100 | £184 | £36,554 | £7,949 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for office-based business premises in North West?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in North West is £65/m²/yr in Burnley. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Blackpool ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for office-based business in Blackpool?
- For a 100 m² unit in Blackpool, 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 an office-based business in North 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).