Engineering has long carried Leicestershire's economy. Bells are still cast in Loughborough by John Taylor Bellfounders, Triumph Motorcycles and Ultima build in Hinckley, Noble makes sports cars in Barwell, Brush Traction builds locomotives in Loughborough and Parker Plant makes quarrying equipment in Belgrave. Add MIRA's automotive research centre outside Hinckley, food production around Melton Mowbray and the distribution warehouses drawn to Hinckley by its motorway links, and the county produces a steady flow of companies that want to own their factory or unit rather than rent it.
Business Mortgages Broker arranges business mortgages for trading companies anywhere in Leicestershire. We are a broker and never lend. The finance is a long-term loan secured on the building your company occupies, assessed on the company's accounts, and it is not a residential mortgage.
Owner-occupier mortgages for manufacturers in Leics
Most of our Leicestershire enquiries come from makers and engineers. Besides the names above, the county is home to Jones & Shipman (machine tools), Metalfacture (sheet metal work), Richards Engineering (foundry equipment), Transmon Engineering, Trelleborg in Beaumont Leys, Infotec in Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Alstec in Whetstone. Engineering departments at the University of Leicester, De Montfort University and Loughborough University feed apprentices and research into the same supply chain.
Lenders are comfortable with modern industrial units that another manufacturer could take over. Where a building has been adapted for one process, such as a foundry or test cell, the valuer may put a lower figure on it than the price you are paying, and the deposit has to make up the gap. Our page on owner-occupier mortgages explains how lenders treat specialist buildings.
Knitwear, wholesale and insurance: the Leicestershire business mix
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Covers 8 council areas: Blaby, Charnwood, Harborough, Hinckley and Bosworth, Melton, North West Leicestershire, Oadby and Wigston, Leicester.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Leicestershire share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical | 5,950 | 11.9% | 13.8% |
| Construction and building trades | 5,740 | 11.5% | 12.5% |
| Retail | 5,015 | 10.1% | 9.4% |
| Business support services | 3,585 | 7.2% | 8.1% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 3,050 | 6.1% | 4.3% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 3,015 | 6% | 6.2% |
| Health and social care | 2,935 | 5.9% | 5.7% |
| Transport, logistics and storage | 2,705 | 5.4% | 4.2% |
| Wholesale | 2,615 | 5.2% | 3.7% |
- 6.0xinsurance and pensions530 businesses
- 5.2xclothing manufacturing265 businesses
- 3.2xtextile manufacturing220 businesses
- 2.2xpaper and packaging50 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
The figures here cover seven districts plus the city of Leicester, and two trades stand out. Clothing manufacture runs at 5.24 times the UK share and textiles at 3.2 times, the remains of the hosiery industry that once filled the county's mills. Wholesale, at 5.2% of firms against 3.7% nationally, reflects the warehouses supplying those makers and the wider Midlands.
For a garment maker or wholesaler buying a building, the age and layout of the property matter. An older multi-storey works can be harder to value than a modern portal-frame shed, and that can affect how much a lender will advance against it.
Food, farming and rural premises finance across the county of Leicester
Leicestershire is one of the three counties permitted to make Stilton and is known for Melton Mowbray pork pies, and livestock farming has a long history here, going back to Robert Bakewell's selective breeding at Dishley near Loughborough. Food businesses buying production units, farm shops or rural workshops are a regular part of the county's owner-occupier market.
Rural and food premises can be harder to value than an industrial estate unit, especially where there is a house or flat on the site. If a director or close family member will live there, the loan may be regulated. Commercial lending to a limited company is unregulated and falls outside the FCA's regulated mortgage perimeter. Where a deal would be regulated, for example lending to a sole trader or individual, or a property where the borrower or a close family member will live in part of it, we refer it to an appropriately authorised firm.
The county's rating list: bigger sheds, more offices
Valuation Office Agency, non-domestic rating stock of properties, March 2026. Totals for Blaby, Charnwood, Harborough, Hinckley and Bosworth, Melton, North West Leicestershire, Oadby and Wigston, Leicester. Average rateable value is the VOA's estimate of annual rent, not a sale price.
- Industrial and warehouse11,520properties on the rating listUp 8% since 2016Average rateable value £49,400factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices5,850properties on the rating listUp 15.6% since 2016Average rateable value £17,700offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail8,310properties on the rating listUp 2.5% since 2016Average rateable value £23,200shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial7,720properties on the rating listUp 8.6% since 2016Average rateable value £35,800pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Leicestershire estates from Gorse Hill to Braunstone Frith
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Leicestershire, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Gorse Hill Industrial EstateLeicester LE4 1AA
- Mill Lane Industrial EstateLeicester LE3 8DU
- Barrington Industrial EstateLeicester LE4 1ET
- Brailsford Industrial EstateLeicester LE3 1HR
- Barshaw Business ParkLeicester LE4 1ET
- Sunningdale Road Industrial ParkLeicester LE3 1UX
- Braunstone Frith Industrial EstateLeicester LE3 1UX
- Blackbird Industrial ParkLeicester LE4 0ET
- Jarvis Street Industrial EstateLeicester LE3 5BN
- Abbey Business ParkLeicester LE1 3BW
- Unit 8 Abbey Business ParkAbbey Business Park, Leicester LE1 3BW
- Meridian Business ParkLeicester LE19 1RP
Industrial premises carry an average rateable value of £49,400 across the county, well above the £23,200 for shops, a sign of the large distribution and manufacturing buildings near the M1 and M69. Industrial stock grew 8% to 11,520 entries. Office numbers rose faster, up 15.6% to 5,850. A firm buying one of those big sheds needs a far larger loan than a shop or office buyer, and the valuation will lean on evidence from similar buildings.
Commercial property loan terms and tax in Leicestershire, England
Indicative owner-occupier pricing is 6.0 to 7.5% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation, with loans typically at 70 to 75% of the lower of price and valuation and up to 80% for strong cases. Terms run 5 to 25 years and arrangement fees are typically 1 to 2%. The lender registers a first legal charge at HM Land Registry and usually takes directors' guarantees.
Purchases pay Stamp Duty Land Tax at HMRC's non-residential rates: 0% to £150,000, 2% on the next £100,000 and 5% above £250,000, rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy. Illustrative example. A Coalville engineering company buys a freehold factory for £1,000,000. A 75% loan is £750,000, leaving £250,000 to find. SDLT is £2,000 plus £37,500, a total of £39,500, payable in cash. See our guide to commercial stamp duty for leases and VAT.
Refinancing business premises in Leicestershire, East Midlands
Owners also come to us to change lender at the end of a fixed period, release equity for new machinery or replace a bridging loan after a refurbishment. Indicative remortgage pricing is 6.0 to 8.0% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation. For Rutland, Nottinghamshire and the other neighbouring counties, see our East Midlands business mortgages overview.
Towns and areas we cover in Leicestershire
Leicester
The county town, a separate unitary authority and by far the largest settlement, with an urban area that takes in Wigston and Oadby. Textiles, footwear, retail and services sit alongside engineering. See our page on commercial mortgages in Leicester.
Loughborough
The university town in the north, home to John Taylor Bellfounders, Brush Traction and the university's Engineering Innovation Centre. Engineers, research firms and town-centre retailers are typical buyers. Read our Loughborough business mortgages page.
Hinckley
In the south-west near the Warwickshire border, home to Triumph Motorcycles, Ultima Sports and, on its outskirts, MIRA. A traditional hosiery town with strong motorway links, it now attracts distribution, motor engineering and creative businesses.
Melton Mowbray
In the north-east, known for pork pies and home to the technology consultancy PERA. Food producers, rural service businesses and market-town retailers make up most owner-occupier demand.
Coalville
In the north-west, where three coal mines operated from the 1820s until 1986, and now part of the National Forest area. Industrial units and trade premises are the usual purchases, from engineering shops to builders' merchants.
Market Harborough
In the south-east, close to the River Welland and served by the Midland Main Line. A market town with professional firms, independent retail and light industry, where buyers often look at period town-centre buildings or edge-of-town units.
Wigston and Oadby
Towns immediately south-east of Leicester and part of its urban area. Their local centres and business units suit service firms, clinics and small manufacturers wanting to own premises close to the city without paying central rents.
