Best areas to open restaurant 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 a restaurant in North West?
In North West, the best area to open a restaurant is Blackpool, with a Gera Business Location Score of 65.1/100: premises at £72/m²/yr and local median pay £27,064. Trafford ranks lowest of 35 North West authorities at 50.3/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
North West ranked for restaurant
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool | 65.1/100 | £72 | £27,064 | £3,110 |
| 2 | Hyndburn | 64.7/100 | £60 | £27,323 | £2,592 |
| 3 | Wyre | 64.5/100 | £65 | £27,657 | £2,808 |
| 4 | Rossendale | 64.4/100 | £63 | £27,288 | £2,722 |
| 5 | Burnley | 64.2/100 | £67 | £27,128 | £2,894 |
| 6 | Oldham | 63.1/100 | £74 | £27,990 | £3,197 |
| 7 | Tameside | 63/100 | £79 | £27,115 | £3,413 |
| 8 | Lancaster | 63/100 | £76 | £29,091 | £3,283 |
| 9 | Pendle | 62.9/100 | £74 | £28,099 | £3,197 |
| 10 | St. Helens | 62.7/100 | £72 | £28,468 | £3,110 |
| 11 | Chorley | 62.2/100 | £77 | £29,415 | £3,326 |
| 12 | Wigan | 62.1/100 | £84 | £28,003 | £3,629 |
| 13 | Sefton | 62.1/100 | £93 | £27,006 | £4,018 |
| 14 | Wirral | 62.1/100 | £80 | £28,840 | £3,456 |
| 15 | Blackburn with Darwen | 61.5/100 | £78 | £30,572 | £3,370 |
| 16 | Bolton | 61.2/100 | £97 | £27,696 | £4,190 |
| 17 | Rochdale | 61.2/100 | £89 | £29,036 | £3,845 |
| 18 | South Ribble | 61.2/100 | £82 | £30,126 | £3,542 |
| 19 | Stockport | 60.5/100 | £105 | £28,296 | £4,536 |
| 20 | Halton | 60.4/100 | £76 | £32,465 | £3,283 |
| 21 | Westmorland and Furness | 60.4/100 | £100 | £32,683 | £4,320 |
| 22 | Preston | 60.4/100 | £78 | £32,655 | £3,370 |
| 23 | West Lancashire | 60.4/100 | £99 | £28,909 | £4,277 |
| 24 | Cheshire West and Chester | 60/100 | £97 | £30,636 | £4,190 |
| 25 | Bury | 60/100 | £105 | £29,060 | £4,536 |
| 26 | Cumberland | 59.7/100 | £85 | £34,890 | £3,672 |
| 27 | Knowsley | 59/100 | £90 | £32,181 | £3,888 |
| 28 | Fylde | 58.5/100 | £84 | £36,962 | £3,629 |
| 29 | Cheshire East | 57.9/100 | £107 | £33,200 | £4,622 |
| 30 | Warrington | 56.8/100 | £108 | £34,719 | £4,666 |
| 31 | Salford | 55.3/100 | £124 | £34,741 | £5,357 |
| 32 | Ribble Valley | 55.3/100 | £94 | £41,474 | £4,061 |
| 33 | Liverpool | 55.3/100 | £137 | £33,648 | £5,918 |
| 34 | Manchester | 52.5/100 | £154 | £36,554 | £6,653 |
| 35 | Trafford | 50.3/100 | £206 | £31,516 | £8,899 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for restaurant premises in North West?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in North West is £60/m²/yr in Hyndburn. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Blackpool ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for restaurant in Blackpool?
- For a 100 m² unit in Blackpool, business rates are roughly £3,110/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £7,200/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a restaurant 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).