Best areas to open trade showroom in East
33 East local authorities ranked by the Gera Business Location Score — real rent, wages, rates and market density.
Where is the best place to open a trade showroom in East?
In East, the best area to open a trade showroom is North Norfolk, with a Gera Business Location Score of 71.1/100: premises at £46/m²/yr and local median pay £26,296. St Albans ranks lowest of 33 East authorities at 50.7/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
East ranked for trade showroom
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Norfolk | 71.1/100 | £46 | £26,296 | £1,987 |
| 2 | Great Yarmouth | 67.5/100 | £45 | £26,484 | £1,944 |
| 3 | Fenland | 67.2/100 | £31 | £27,005 | £1,339 |
| 4 | Babergh | 67/100 | £46 | £25,785 | £1,987 |
| 5 | Tendring | 66.8/100 | £41 | £27,067 | £1,771 |
| 6 | Breckland | 66/100 | £35 | £28,303 | £1,512 |
| 7 | Norwich | 65.9/100 | £66 | £28,457 | £2,851 |
| 8 | Southend-on-Sea | 65.3/100 | £68 | £26,955 | £2,938 |
| 9 | Dacorum | 65.3/100 | £111 | £18,675 | £4,795 |
| 10 | East Suffolk | 65.3/100 | £49 | £30,821 | £2,117 |
| 11 | Castle Point | 64.8/100 | £52 | £27,524 | £2,246 |
| 12 | King's Lynn and West Norfolk | 64.7/100 | £46 | £30,544 | £1,987 |
| 13 | Ipswich | 63.8/100 | £56 | £30,605 | £2,419 |
| 14 | South Norfolk | 63.5/100 | £50 | £29,114 | £2,160 |
| 15 | West Suffolk | 63.5/100 | £70 | £29,613 | £3,024 |
| 16 | Peterborough | 62.9/100 | £56 | £31,062 | £2,419 |
| 17 | Rochford | 62.5/100 | £80 | £26,706 | £3,456 |
| 18 | Colchester | 62.2/100 | £60 | £31,056 | £2,592 |
| 19 | Braintree | 61.7/100 | £51 | £32,175 | £2,203 |
| 20 | Epping Forest | 61.7/100 | £91 | £30,038 | £3,931 |
| 21 | Broadland | 61.6/100 | £42 | £32,576 | £1,814 |
| 22 | East Cambridgeshire | 61.3/100 | £60 | £30,232 | £2,592 |
| 23 | Uttlesford | 61.1/100 | £68 | £32,124 | £2,938 |
| 24 | Mid Suffolk | 60.9/100 | £45 | £32,413 | £1,944 |
| 25 | Bedford | 60.6/100 | £54 | £33,148 | £2,333 |
| 26 | East Hertfordshire | 59.7/100 | £79 | £32,293 | £3,413 |
| 27 | Chelmsford | 59.6/100 | £85 | £32,010 | £3,672 |
| 28 | Basildon | 59.4/100 | £78 | £32,050 | £3,370 |
| 29 | Huntingdonshire | 59.3/100 | £76 | £32,441 | £3,283 |
| 30 | Central Bedfordshire | 58.4/100 | £87 | £30,963 | £3,758 |
| 31 | Cambridge | 54.8/100 | £77 | £40,266 | £3,326 |
| 32 | South Cambridgeshire | 52/100 | £85 | £41,348 | £3,672 |
| 33 | St Albans | 50.7/100 | £177 | £33,468 | £7,646 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for trade showroom premises in East?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in East is £31/m²/yr in Fenland. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, North Norfolk ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for trade showroom in North Norfolk?
- For a 100 m² unit in North Norfolk, business rates are roughly £1,987/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £4,600/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a trade showroom in East?
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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).