Best areas to open pharmacy in South East
12 South 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 pharmacy in South East?
In South East, the best area to open a pharmacy is New Forest, with a Gera Business Location Score of 65/100: premises at £305/m²/yr and local median pay £30,071. Basingstoke and Deane ranks lowest of 12 South East authorities at 25.5/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
South East ranked for pharmacy
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Forest | 65/100 | £305 | £30,071 | £13,176 |
| 2 | Isle of Wight | 64.6/100 | £317 | £26,185 | £13,694 |
| 3 | Eastbourne | 64.4/100 | £391 | £26,893 | £16,891 |
| 4 | Wealden | 63.6/100 | £312 | £27,639 | £13,478 |
| 5 | Portsmouth | 49.8/100 | £297 | £33,015 | £12,830 |
| 6 | Buckinghamshire | 49.6/100 | £388 | £33,367 | £16,762 |
| 7 | Southampton | 47.2/100 | £316 | £33,878 | £13,651 |
| 8 | East Hampshire | 46.4/100 | £439 | £30,143 | £18,965 |
| 9 | Arun | 41/100 | £506 | £27,461 | £21,859 |
| 10 | Brighton and Hove | 37.7/100 | £469 | £33,649 | £20,261 |
| 11 | Swale | 36.8/100 | £457 | £29,831 | £19,742 |
| 12 | Basingstoke and Deane | 25.5/100 | £506 | £35,492 | £21,859 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for pharmacy premises in South East?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in South East is £297/m²/yr in Portsmouth. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, New Forest ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for pharmacy in New Forest?
- For a 100 m² unit in New Forest, business rates are roughly £13,176/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £30,500/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a pharmacy in South 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).