Your guide to commercial property | Area guides (2)

Basildon is the largest growing economy in Essex and a significant regional and national growth driver. The town's commercial base has increased rapidly in recent years, and the borough is now home to almost 8,000 thriving businesses. Many of these businesses specialise in the digital, creative, technology, and advanced manufacturing fields.

Salford is a city in the Greater Manchester area of northern England. It’s an exciting place to live and work, with major professional hubs including Liverpool and Manchester within easy reach. There’s also a large pool of talent here, as it’s home to more than 100,000 residents and the University of Salford.

Slough is an economic powerhouse and regarded as one of the United Kingdom’s most attractive and lucrative places to both live and do business. The area is home to the highest number of UK-based headquarters of global companies outside of London, with many distinguished names in the manufacturing, technology, pharmaceuticals, and automotive industries based in the area.

Huddersfield is a large and well-established town situated halfway between Manchester and Leeds in West Yorkshire. It's been a market town since Anglo-Saxon times and is known for its important role in the Industrial Revolution.

Belgravia is one of London’s most desirable areas. This centrally-located destination is home to exclusive retail brands, upmarket boutiques, world-famous eateries and the finest hotels; as such, it’s where you’ll find some of the capital’s wealthiest residents. Located between Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Westminster, Belgravia’s central location means it’s a great place if you’re looking to be close to central districts.

Croydon's main industries are technology, construction and retail. Technology, in particular, is a growing sector, with the borough named the fastest growing UK' tech city'. But with one of the largest commercial areas outside Central London — packed with shops, law offices, banks, and restaurants — Croydon is better known for its growing number of small and medium-sized businesses and startups.

A cosmopolitan cocktail of city, coast and countryside, Sunderland has all the buzz of the big city combined with the quiet charm of both the country and seaside. Keen to learn more about living and working in Sunderland? We have everything you need to know. 

The birthplace of the first light bulb, colour television, mass-produced dishwasher and ATM machine, Enfield has a history of industrial excellence and business innovation. It’s London’s most northern borough, sitting above Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest, and below Epping Forest and Hertfordshire.

Famous for its striking Transporter Bridge, which uses a suspended ‘gondola’ to take vehicles across the River Tees, Middlesbrough has long been known for its history of industrial activity. More recently, Middlesbrough has benefitted from billions of pounds of investment into its infrastructure, creating thousands of new jobs, homes and business and educational facilities.

Southend-on-Sea is a well-known seaside town situated on the north side of the Thames Estuary, less than an hour from London. It has a rich history dating back to the 7th Century, when the Saxons first settled at the village of Prittlewell.

Milton Keynes is the largest town in the county of Buckinghamshire. It’s just 50 miles north-west of the capital, meaning you’ll be close to London without the chaos of the big city, and is surrounded by lush countryside, so you get the best of both worlds. The town was developed extensively in the years following WWII, and its streets were designed in the popular American grid-style for ease of navigation.

Wales’s second city, Swansea, can be found on the south coast, roughly an hour’s drive west from the capital, Cardiff. It has a little bit of everything, thanks to the picturesque Gower Peninsula coastline, buzzing city centre and beautiful surrounding countryside. If you’re looking for a new base in south wales, Swansea might just fit the bill.

Norwich combines its medieval heritage with a thriving business district, ground-breaking scientific innovation and bustling social scene. And, as the only city in England to be located in a National Park, Norwich offers access to beautiful scenery and wildlife too.

In 2020, the town hosted the inaugural Tech Swindon Summit, promoting local technology businesses and talent. Tourism is also important. With its restored railway village, historic canals, museums and proximity to Avebury, Stonehenge and the Cotswolds, Swindon is fast becoming popular with British and foreign visitors.

Historically, Aberdeen was known as a key centre for fishing, paper making, ship building and textiles. But since huge reserves of North Sea crude oil were discovered off the coast in the 1970s, Aberdeen has transformed into one of the world’s offshore oil capitals. You’ll find one of the world’s busiest commercial heliports here and the city’s seaport handles thousands of tonnes of goods every day.

The town was once a major centre for textile production, including cotton and wool weaving. In the 1920s, there were more than 200 cotton mills and 26 dyeing works in Bolton, making it one of the world’s busiest cotton producers. By the 1980s this trade had all but disappeared, but the town has reinvented itself as a service-based hub, with professional services, high-tech and transportation businesses now occupying Bolton instead.

The city of Wolverhampton has an interesting history. What was once a modest market town specialising in wool trade is today a vibrant city with a population of 260,000. According to the City of Wolverhampton Council, the city is among the top ten growing economies in the UK.

You’ll find Luton in the south east of England, just 30 miles north of central London. It offers the best of both worlds to its residents: an abundance of green space and riverside strolls are just a short distance from the bustling town centre.

As the home of Robin Hood, England’s oldest pub and a labyrinth of caves, Nottingham and the surrounding area is also on the cultural map and known to attract over 35 million visitors each year. Its popularity sees it benefitting from the sixth highest tourist spend in the UK.

The Northern Irish capital, Belfast is a vibrant place to base your business. Located on the coast of the Irish Sea and on the banks of the River Lagan, it has been a transport and ship-building hub since the 19th century.

The former wool capital of the world, Bradford has now evolved into a thriving city in West Yorkshire. This textile powerhouse played a prominent role in the UK’s industrial revolution, as its location gave it access to raw materials like coal and iron, allowing massive factories to spring up across the area.

Sheffield played an important role in the Industrial Revolution and became known as a prominent centre for stainless steel and crucible steel production. However, due to increasing international competition, the majority of its metal works had closed their doors by the 1970s.

Having enjoyed rapid growth in recent years, in terms of skills, new businesses and wages, Leicester has experienced a surge in house prices. For many, the rising property prices is making the city a less attractive place to live and work, but for others, they signal an opportunity for investment.

Maritime city Plymouth occupies a prime position on Devon’s south coast. Its major port has made it a popular base for businesses since the days of the Roman Empire, and it remains a bustling hub for trade.

If you’ve always wanted to work near the coast, Bournemouth and Poole are two great options for running a business in. Once the playground of fisherman, today the two areas are seeing prominent business growth and innovation. With a young and skilled population and a diverse mix of sectors, there are lots of exciting opportunities here.