Best areas to open retail shop in London
33 London 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 London?
In London, the best area to open an independent retail shop is Bexley, with a Gera Business Location Score of 61.2/100: premises at £128/m²/yr and local median pay £27,441. Westminster ranks lowest of 33 London authorities at 21/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
London ranked for retail shop
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bexley | 61.2/100 | £128 | £27,441 | £5,530 |
| 2 | Greenwich | 57.9/100 | £161 | £30,787 | £6,955 |
| 3 | Barking and Dagenham | 57.8/100 | £153 | £32,433 | £6,610 |
| 4 | Redbridge | 57.8/100 | £204 | £28,125 | £8,813 |
| 5 | Waltham Forest | 57.6/100 | £193 | £28,880 | £8,338 |
| 6 | Enfield | 57.3/100 | £182 | £31,252 | £7,862 |
| 7 | Havering | 56.7/100 | £176 | £31,874 | £7,603 |
| 8 | Croydon | 56.2/100 | £155 | £34,987 | £6,696 |
| 9 | Sutton | 56.2/100 | £152 | £35,113 | £6,566 |
| 10 | Lewisham | 55.9/100 | £153 | £34,965 | £6,610 |
| 11 | Bromley | 55.7/100 | £181 | £33,520 | £7,819 |
| 12 | Haringey | 55.6/100 | £246 | £27,716 | £10,627 |
| 13 | Harrow | 55.5/100 | £214 | £32,208 | £9,245 |
| 14 | Barnet | 54.7/100 | £247 | £30,926 | £10,670 |
| 15 | Brent | 54.2/100 | £230 | £32,335 | £9,936 |
| 16 | Hillingdon | 53.8/100 | £187 | £37,941 | £8,078 |
| 17 | Merton | 53.8/100 | £225 | £32,983 | £9,720 |
| 18 | Ealing | 53.7/100 | £229 | £33,592 | £9,893 |
| 19 | Hackney | 52.3/100 | £240 | £37,736 | £10,368 |
| 20 | Richmond upon Thames | 52.1/100 | £248 | £35,263 | £10,714 |
| 21 | Kingston upon Thames | 51.7/100 | £247 | £36,898 | £10,670 |
| 22 | Hounslow | 51.6/100 | £218 | £38,422 | £9,418 |
| 23 | Wandsworth | 49.5/100 | £254 | £37,534 | £10,973 |
| 24 | Lambeth | 46.7/100 | £253 | £42,039 | £10,930 |
| 25 | Islington | 45.6/100 | £263 | £49,624 | £11,362 |
| 26 | Newham | 45.5/100 | £324 | £39,117 | £13,997 |
| 27 | Southwark | 44.3/100 | £261 | £47,136 | £11,275 |
| 28 | Camden | 41.2/100 | £402 | £48,822 | £17,366 |
| 29 | City of London | 40.3/100 | £655 | £67,064 | £28,296 |
| 30 | Hammersmith and Fulham | 39.3/100 | £408 | £44,042 | £17,626 |
| 31 | Kensington and Chelsea | 35.6/100 | £590 | £38,541 | £25,488 |
| 32 | Tower Hamlets | 34.3/100 | £323 | £59,974 | £13,954 |
| 33 | Westminster | 21/100 | £838 | £49,973 | £36,202 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for retail shop premises in London?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in London is £128/m²/yr in Bexley. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Bexley ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for retail shop in Bexley?
- For a 100 m² unit in Bexley, business rates are roughly £5,530/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £12,800/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening an independent retail shop in London?
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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).