- In the north, Chester is second most expensive for retail rental, costing £43.14 per sq ft
- Chester is also the 6th most expensive city for retail rental in the UK
- A unit in Chester will cost business owners, on average, £15.03 per sq ft more than Manchester units (£28.11) – that’s 35% more
- Liverpool units (£21.17) are over 50% cheaper than Chester and are almost £22 more cost-effective (£21.97 difference)
- Business owners are just £6.50 better off renting a unit in Chester compared to London
- Retail rental is cheaper in 96 UK towns and cities compared to Chester
- Chester retail units are more expensive than those in cities like Milton Keynes (£41.21), Bath (£37.96), and Edinburgh (£34.49)
| Rank | Chester rental is more ‘affordable’ compared to | Chester units are more expensive compared to | ||
| Town/City | Amount better off** | Town/City | Average price** | |
| 1 | London | £6.50 | Liverpool | £21.17 |
| 2 | Oxford | £6.37 | Wigan | £24.99 |
| 3 | York | £4.61 | Birkenhead | £26.61 |
| 4 | Cambridge | £3.64 | Preston | £26.86 |
| 5 | Leeds | £1.74 | Manchester | £28.11 |
Shaun Barton, National Online Business Operations Director at Real Business Rescue comments:
“Rental prices are just one of the many rising costs affecting businesses across the nation as they battle through one of the toughest periods they’ve ever faced due to the ‘cost of doing business crisis’ and rising inflation.
“Not only do these prices lead to vacant retail spaces, which can have damaging effects on high streets up and down the country, but it’s another pressure point for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) everywhere.”
