Best areas to open storage / store unit in North East
12 North 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 storage or trade store unit in North East?
In North East, the best area to open a storage or trade store unit is County Durham, with a Gera Business Location Score of 63/100: premises at £24/m²/yr and local median pay £29,393. North Tyneside ranks lowest of 12 North East authorities at 54/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
Gera Business Location Score
Top North East area for storage / store unit: County Durham.
How this is calculatedNorth East ranked for storage / store unit
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | County Durham | 63/100 | £24 | £29,393 | £1,037 |
| 2 | South Tyneside | 62/100 | £34 | £25,490 | £1,469 |
| 3 | Hartlepool | 61.8/100 | £29 | £28,204 | £1,253 |
| 4 | Redcar and Cleveland | 61.5/100 | £30 | £28,356 | £1,296 |
| 5 | Darlington | 61.4/100 | £29 | £29,692 | £1,253 |
| 6 | Middlesbrough | 61.1/100 | £30 | £29,502 | £1,296 |
| 7 | Northumberland | 60.8/100 | £35 | £27,769 | £1,512 |
| 8 | Stockton-on-Tees | 60.6/100 | £32 | £29,537 | £1,382 |
| 9 | Sunderland | 59.3/100 | £38 | £28,214 | £1,642 |
| 10 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 56/100 | £43 | £31,786 | £1,858 |
| 11 | Gateshead | 55.8/100 | £52 | £28,507 | £2,246 |
| 12 | North Tyneside | 54/100 | £54 | £29,311 | £2,333 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for storage / store unit premises in North East?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in North East is £24/m²/yr in County Durham. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, County Durham ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for storage / store unit in County Durham?
- For a 100 m² unit in County Durham, business rates are roughly £1,037/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £2,400/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a storage or trade store unit in North 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).