Best areas to open retail shop in Wales
22 Wales 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 Wales?
In Wales, the best area to open an independent retail shop is Gwynedd, with a Gera Business Location Score of 66.9/100: premises at £72/m²/yr and local median pay £25,217. Cardiff / Caerdydd ranks lowest of 22 Wales authorities at 55.7/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
Wales ranked for retail shop
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gwynedd | 66.9/100 | £72 | £25,217 | £3,110 |
| 2 | Blaenau Gwent | 66.8/100 | £41 | £26,241 | £1,771 |
| 3 | Powys | 66.8/100 | £63 | £26,839 | £2,722 |
| 4 | Pembrokeshire / Sir Benfro | 65.9/100 | £77 | £26,535 | £3,326 |
| 5 | Conwy | 65.8/100 | £82 | £26,961 | £3,542 |
| 6 | Denbighshire / Sir Ddinbych | 65.7/100 | £71 | £27,011 | £3,067 |
| 7 | Ceredigion | 65.1/100 | £90 | £27,868 | £3,888 |
| 8 | Merthyr Tydfil / Merthyr Tudful | 65/100 | £64 | £27,843 | £2,765 |
| 9 | Isle of Anglesey / Ynys Môn | 64.6/100 | £61 | £29,867 | £2,635 |
| 10 | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 64.5/100 | £62 | £28,454 | £2,678 |
| 11 | Carmarthenshire / Sir Gaerfyrddin | 64.1/100 | £71 | £29,835 | £3,067 |
| 12 | Caerphilly / Caerffili | 63.4/100 | £81 | £28,187 | £3,499 |
| 13 | Neath Port Talbot / Castell-nedd Port Talbot | 62.9/100 | £71 | £30,055 | £3,067 |
| 14 | Bridgend / Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr | 62.9/100 | £82 | £30,377 | £3,542 |
| 15 | Wrexham / Wrecsam | 62.8/100 | £77 | £30,080 | £3,326 |
| 16 | Vale of Glamorgan / Bro Morgannwg | 62.6/100 | £100 | £28,528 | £4,320 |
| 17 | Newport / Casnewydd | 61.9/100 | £76 | £32,340 | £3,283 |
| 18 | Swansea / Abertawe | 61.2/100 | £97 | £31,348 | £4,190 |
| 19 | Torfaen / Tor-faen | 61.2/100 | £96 | £31,105 | £4,147 |
| 20 | Flintshire / Sir y Fflint | 61.1/100 | £75 | £34,480 | £3,240 |
| 21 | Monmouthshire / Sir Fynwy | 60.1/100 | £119 | £32,805 | £5,141 |
| 22 | Cardiff / Caerdydd | 55.7/100 | £178 | £33,599 | £7,690 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for retail shop premises in Wales?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in Wales is £41/m²/yr in Blaenau Gwent. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Gwynedd ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for retail shop in Gwynedd?
- For a 100 m² unit in Gwynedd, 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.
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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).