Best areas to open retail shop in South West
26 South 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 South West?
In South West, the best area to open an independent retail shop is Torridge, with a Gera Business Location Score of 65.6/100: premises at £78/m²/yr and local median pay £26,745. South Gloucestershire ranks lowest of 26 South West authorities at 52.7/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
South West ranked for retail shop
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Torridge | 65.6/100 | £78 | £26,745 | £3,370 |
| 2 | Forest of Dean | 65.4/100 | £76 | £25,387 | £3,283 |
| 3 | North Devon | 64.7/100 | £100 | £27,526 | £4,320 |
| 4 | Cornwall | 63.5/100 | £120 | £27,006 | £5,184 |
| 5 | Mid Devon | 63.5/100 | £79 | £29,224 | £3,413 |
| 6 | Torbay | 63.3/100 | £103 | £28,066 | £4,450 |
| 7 | West Devon | 63.2/100 | £115 | £28,161 | £4,968 |
| 8 | North Somerset | 63/100 | £94 | £28,749 | £4,061 |
| 9 | South Hams | 62.5/100 | £146 | £28,329 | £6,307 |
| 10 | Somerset | 62.4/100 | £108 | £29,152 | £4,666 |
| 11 | Dorset | 62.3/100 | £122 | £29,292 | £5,270 |
| 12 | Teignbridge | 62.3/100 | £111 | £28,636 | £4,795 |
| 13 | Cotswold | 61.1/100 | £169 | £29,655 | £7,301 |
| 14 | East Devon | 60.9/100 | £116 | £31,874 | £5,011 |
| 15 | Gloucester | 60.4/100 | £117 | £30,796 | £5,054 |
| 16 | Stroud | 60.2/100 | £112 | £32,495 | £4,838 |
| 17 | Wiltshire | 59.8/100 | £140 | £30,000 | £6,048 |
| 18 | Plymouth | 59/100 | £141 | £30,346 | £6,091 |
| 19 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 58.8/100 | £153 | £31,121 | £6,610 |
| 20 | Swindon | 57.5/100 | £143 | £32,933 | £6,178 |
| 21 | Exeter | 57.2/100 | £186 | £30,138 | £8,035 |
| 22 | Tewkesbury | 57.1/100 | £119 | £37,088 | £5,141 |
| 23 | Bristol, City of | 56/100 | £138 | £36,652 | £5,962 |
| 24 | Bath and North East Somerset | 55.7/100 | £198 | £32,004 | £8,554 |
| 25 | Cheltenham | 54.5/100 | £201 | £35,202 | £8,683 |
| 26 | South Gloucestershire | 52.7/100 | £192 | £36,920 | £8,294 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for retail shop premises in South West?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in South West is £76/m²/yr in Forest of Dean. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Torridge ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for retail shop in Torridge?
- For a 100 m² unit in Torridge, business rates are roughly £3,370/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £7,800/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening an independent retail shop in South 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).