Best areas to open retail shop in East Midlands
35 East Midlands local authorities ranked by the Gera Business Location Score — real rent, wages, rates and market density.
Where is the best place to open an independent retail shop in East Midlands?
In East Midlands, the best area to open an independent retail shop is East Lindsey, with a Gera Business Location Score of 66.1/100: premises at £86/m²/yr and local median pay £26,724. Derby ranks lowest of 35 East Midlands authorities at 57.5/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
Gera Business Location Score
Top East Midlands area for retail shop: East Lindsey.
How this is calculatedEast Midlands ranked for retail shop
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Lindsey | 66.1/100 | £86 | £26,724 | £3,715 |
| 2 | Oadby and Wigston | 65.6/100 | £109 | £23,103 | £4,709 |
| 3 | Newark and Sherwood | 64.9/100 | £88 | £26,911 | £3,802 |
| 4 | Bassetlaw | 64.8/100 | £81 | £26,888 | £3,499 |
| 5 | Mansfield | 64.5/100 | £84 | £26,761 | £3,629 |
| 6 | Boston | 64.2/100 | £99 | £26,187 | £4,277 |
| 7 | South Holland | 64.1/100 | £82 | £27,809 | £3,542 |
| 8 | Melton | 64/100 | £101 | £26,700 | £4,363 |
| 9 | Derbyshire Dales | 63.8/100 | £115 | £28,874 | £4,968 |
| 10 | Erewash | 63.5/100 | £75 | £29,102 | £3,240 |
| 11 | Ashfield | 63.4/100 | £74 | £29,136 | £3,197 |
| 12 | Gedling | 63.2/100 | £109 | £26,135 | £4,709 |
| 13 | Broxtowe | 63.1/100 | £101 | £27,113 | £4,363 |
| 14 | South Kesteven | 62.8/100 | £107 | £28,724 | £4,622 |
| 15 | West Lindsey | 62.8/100 | £77 | £30,000 | £3,326 |
| 16 | High Peak | 62.7/100 | £106 | £28,463 | £4,579 |
| 17 | Bolsover | 62.3/100 | £83 | £30,441 | £3,586 |
| 18 | North Northamptonshire | 62.1/100 | £85 | £31,027 | £3,672 |
| 19 | North East Derbyshire | 62.1/100 | £91 | £29,544 | £3,931 |
| 20 | Amber Valley | 61.7/100 | £92 | £31,100 | £3,974 |
| 21 | North West Leicestershire | 61.7/100 | £98 | £30,034 | £4,234 |
| 22 | North Kesteven | 61.6/100 | £96 | £29,941 | £4,147 |
| 23 | Leicester | 61.3/100 | £133 | £29,411 | £5,746 |
| 24 | Chesterfield | 61.1/100 | £114 | £30,962 | £4,925 |
| 25 | Harborough | 60.9/100 | £143 | £28,618 | £6,178 |
| 26 | Lincoln | 60.7/100 | £135 | £29,482 | £5,832 |
| 27 | Rutland | 60.4/100 | £105 | £34,355 | £4,536 |
| 28 | West Northamptonshire | 60.3/100 | £96 | £33,147 | £4,147 |
| 29 | Charnwood | 60.2/100 | £108 | £32,435 | £4,666 |
| 30 | Hinckley and Bosworth | 59.9/100 | £95 | £34,606 | £4,104 |
| 31 | Rushcliffe | 59.7/100 | £152 | £28,689 | £6,566 |
| 32 | South Derbyshire | 59.5/100 | £99 | £32,938 | £4,277 |
| 33 | Nottingham | 59.3/100 | £152 | £29,144 | £6,566 |
| 34 | Blaby | 58.1/100 | £134 | £33,327 | £5,789 |
| 35 | Derby | 57.5/100 | £132 | £35,179 | £5,702 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for retail shop premises in East Midlands?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in East Midlands is £74/m²/yr in Ashfield. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, East Lindsey ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for retail shop in East Lindsey?
- For a 100 m² unit in East Lindsey, business rates are roughly £3,715/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £8,600/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening an independent retail shop in East Midlands?
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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).