Best areas to open pharmacy in Wales
10 Wales 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 Wales?
In Wales, the best area to open a pharmacy is Vale of Glamorgan / Bro Morgannwg, with a Gera Business Location Score of 77.6/100: premises at £205/m²/yr and local median pay £28,528. Carmarthenshire / Sir Gaerfyrddin ranks lowest of 10 Wales authorities at 54.8/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
Gera Business Location Score
Top Wales area for pharmacy: Vale of Glamorgan / Bro Morgannwg.
How this is calculatedWales ranked for pharmacy
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vale of Glamorgan / Bro Morgannwg | 77.6/100 | £205 | £28,528 | £8,856 |
| 2 | Conwy | 76.4/100 | £295 | £26,961 | £12,744 |
| 3 | Pembrokeshire / Sir Benfro | 70.1/100 | £249 | £26,535 | £10,757 |
| 4 | Wrexham / Wrecsam | 66.3/100 | £259 | £30,080 | £11,189 |
| 5 | Swansea / Abertawe | 63/100 | £246 | £31,348 | £10,627 |
| 6 | Caerphilly / Caerffili | 63/100 | £245 | £28,187 | £10,584 |
| 7 | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 60.9/100 | £261 | £28,454 | £11,275 |
| 8 | Bridgend / Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr | 59.4/100 | £229 | £30,377 | £9,893 |
| 9 | Cardiff / Caerdydd | 55/100 | £319 | £33,599 | £13,781 |
| 10 | Carmarthenshire / Sir Gaerfyrddin | 54.8/100 | £373 | £29,835 | £16,114 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for pharmacy premises in Wales?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in Wales is £205/m²/yr in Vale of Glamorgan / Bro Morgannwg. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Vale of Glamorgan / Bro Morgannwg ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for pharmacy in Vale of Glamorgan / Bro Morgannwg?
- For a 100 m² unit in Vale of Glamorgan / Bro Morgannwg, business rates are roughly £8,856/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £20,500/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a pharmacy in Wales?
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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).