Best areas to open retail shop 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 an independent retail shop in North West?
In North West, the best area to open an independent retail shop is Hyndburn, with a Gera Business Location Score of 66/100: premises at £56/m²/yr and local median pay £27,323. Trafford ranks lowest of 35 North West authorities at 53.5/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
North West ranked for retail shop
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hyndburn | 66/100 | £56 | £27,323 | £2,419 |
| 2 | Blackpool | 65.6/100 | £78 | £27,064 | £3,370 |
| 3 | Burnley | 65.4/100 | £69 | £27,128 | £2,981 |
| 4 | Pendle | 65.4/100 | £65 | £28,099 | £2,808 |
| 5 | Rossendale | 65.3/100 | £67 | £27,288 | £2,894 |
| 6 | Sefton | 64.6/100 | £84 | £27,006 | £3,629 |
| 7 | Bolton | 64.5/100 | £94 | £27,696 | £4,061 |
| 8 | Wyre | 64.4/100 | £95 | £27,657 | £4,104 |
| 9 | St. Helens | 64.1/100 | £73 | £28,468 | £3,154 |
| 10 | Tameside | 63.9/100 | £91 | £27,115 | £3,931 |
| 11 | Wirral | 63.9/100 | £75 | £28,840 | £3,240 |
| 12 | Blackburn with Darwen | 63.8/100 | £87 | £30,572 | £3,758 |
| 13 | Oldham | 63.8/100 | £90 | £27,990 | £3,888 |
| 14 | Rochdale | 63.6/100 | £86 | £29,036 | £3,715 |
| 15 | Wigan | 63.4/100 | £87 | £28,003 | £3,758 |
| 16 | Lancaster | 63.1/100 | £88 | £29,091 | £3,802 |
| 17 | Chorley | 62.8/100 | £94 | £29,415 | £4,061 |
| 18 | Bury | 62.6/100 | £115 | £29,060 | £4,968 |
| 19 | Stockport | 62.6/100 | £116 | £28,296 | £5,011 |
| 20 | West Lancashire | 62.3/100 | £103 | £28,909 | £4,450 |
| 21 | Westmorland and Furness | 62.1/100 | £98 | £32,683 | £4,234 |
| 22 | South Ribble | 61.8/100 | £96 | £30,126 | £4,147 |
| 23 | Preston | 61.6/100 | £99 | £32,655 | £4,277 |
| 24 | Halton | 61.2/100 | £83 | £32,465 | £3,586 |
| 25 | Cumberland | 60.1/100 | £94 | £34,890 | £4,061 |
| 26 | Cheshire East | 59.9/100 | £119 | £33,200 | £5,141 |
| 27 | Cheshire West and Chester | 59.5/100 | £142 | £30,636 | £6,134 |
| 28 | Salford | 59.5/100 | £98 | £34,741 | £4,234 |
| 29 | Fylde | 59.4/100 | £99 | £36,962 | £4,277 |
| 30 | Knowsley | 59.1/100 | £110 | £32,181 | £4,752 |
| 31 | Warrington | 58.4/100 | £122 | £34,719 | £5,270 |
| 32 | Liverpool | 58.3/100 | £133 | £33,648 | £5,746 |
| 33 | Ribble Valley | 57/100 | £103 | £41,474 | £4,450 |
| 34 | Manchester | 54.5/100 | £192 | £36,554 | £8,294 |
| 35 | Trafford | 53.5/100 | £259 | £31,516 | £11,189 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for retail shop premises in North West?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in North West is £56/m²/yr in Hyndburn. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Hyndburn ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for retail shop in Hyndburn?
- For a 100 m² unit in Hyndburn, business rates are roughly £2,419/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £5,600/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
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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).