Kettering is a market and industrial town in the North Northamptonshire district, west of the River Ise and about 15 miles north-east of Northampton. Its population was 63,150 at the 2021 census. Boots and shoes built the town; the railway brought engineering and clothing, and Aquascutum opened its first factory here in 1909. Today, according to Wikipedia, its economy rests on service and distribution industries because of its central location and transport links.
We are a commercial finance broker. We arrange business mortgages for limited companies in Kettering that want to buy or refinance the building they trade from. We do not lend, and this is finance for a trading company's premises, not a mortgage on a home.
Which businesses buy premises with a commercial property loan in Kettering, UK?
The firms Wikipedia names here are a useful cross-section: Weetabix, Aryzta, Pegasus Software, RCI Europe, Timsons Ltd and Morrisons Distribution, plus Wicksteed Playscapes, said to be the world's oldest-known playground maker. Behind them is a long tail of smaller engineering, food, software and logistics businesses, and it is those smaller companies that most often buy their own premises.
Distribution is the dominant theme. Many large warehouses have been built around the town, and Kettering Business Park, developed by Buccleuch Property on the A43 and A6003 on the north side, adds office buildings and a leisure element. A trading company buying a unit there, or a smaller warehouse elsewhere in town, will find that lenders value modern, flexible space well. In the centre, the Heritage Quarter and the 'Cornerstone' initiative led by North Northamptonshire Council and SEMLEP aim to revitalise the library, gallery and museum area, which matters to shops and hospitality businesses nearby.
Our owner-occupier mortgages page explains how lenders assess a company that occupies its own building.
Who runs a business in Kettering and North Northants
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Figures are for the North Northamptonshire local authority area.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Kettering share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction and building trades | 2,275 | 13.4% | 12.5% |
| Arts, sport and leisure | 1,780 | 10.5% | 3% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 1,770 | 10.4% | 13.9% |
| Retail | 1,335 | 7.9% | 9.4% |
| Transport, logistics and storage | 1,320 | 7.8% | 4.2% |
| Business support services | 1,255 | 7.4% | 8.1% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 950 | 5.6% | 4.3% |
| Health and social care | 810 | 4.8% | 5.6% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 790 | 4.6% | 6.1% |
- 6.7xsport and leisure1,645 businesses
- 2.2xrubber and plastics65 businesses
- 2.0xroad haulage and land transport740 businesses
- 2.0xmotor vehicles and parts40 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Kettering's figures are counted across North Northamptonshire, a district of 17,005 business units. Builders are the largest group, at 13.4% of firms, and motor trade and vehicle repair reaches 4.6% against 3% nationally. Arts, sport and leisure registrations are unusually high, at 10.5% of firms, more than three times the UK share.
Small firms dominate, with micro businesses at 86% of the total and 2,380 small and medium employers. That makes Kettering a market of modest freehold units and shops, where a profitable owner-managed company can often borrow in the 6.0 to 7.5% owner-occupier band.
How the A14 and A43 affect premises finance in the Kettering area
The A14 skirts the west and south of the town, linking it to the A45, the M1 and the M6. The A43 runs to Corby and Northampton, the A6003 to Corby, the A509 to Wellingborough and the A6 to Rushden and Bedford. For a logistics or wholesale business, that network is the reason to be in Kettering at all.
Lenders take the same view. A unit with quick access to an A14 junction is easier to re-let or sell if the occupier fails, so it tends to support a better valuation and a smoother credit decision. Buildings on narrower town-centre streets can still be financed, but the lender will look harder at your own trading figures.
Kettering premises: new sheds, more offices, steady shops
Valuation Office Agency, non-domestic rating stock of properties, March 2026. Figures for the North Northamptonshire council area. Average rateable value is the VOA's estimate of annual rent, not a sale price.
- Industrial and warehouse5,210properties on the rating listUp 52.8% since 2016Average rateable value £48,600factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices1,760properties on the rating listUp 24.8% since 2016Average rateable value £10,100offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail2,380properties on the rating listUp 5.8% since 2016Average rateable value £24,600shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial2,550properties on the rating listUp 8.1% since 2016Average rateable value £33,100pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Kettering units around Pytchley Lodge and Telford Way
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Kettering, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Pytchley Lodge Industrial EstateKettering NN15 6JQ
- Pytchley Ldg Industrial EstateKettering NN15 6JQ
- Pytchley Lodge Road Industrial EstateKettering NN15 6JQ
- Pytchley Business ParkKettering NN15 6NL
- Cunliffe Drive Industrial EstateKettering NN16 8LD
- Kettering Business ParkKettering
- Northfield Avenue Industrial EstateKettering NN16 9HU
- Telford Way Industrial EstateKettering
- Telford House Telford Way Industrial EstateKettering NN16 8UN
- Henson Park Industrial EstateKettering NN16 8PX
- Symmetry Industrial ParkKettering NN14 1HQ
- North Business ParkKettering NN14 1QF
Across North Northamptonshire the total number of rated premises rose from 9,430 to 11,900, up 26.2%. Shops grew more slowly, up 5.8% to 2,380, and carry an average rateable value of £24,600. Offices are inexpensive, at £10,100 on average. For a Kettering firm buying a high street shop or small office, the valuer will look at local evidence rather than the big distribution units that drive the district totals.
Costs of buying business property in Kettering, Northants
Indicative owner-occupier rates are 6.0 to 7.5% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation, with 70 to 75% loan to value typical and terms of 5 to 25 years. The deposit, legal fees, valuation and Stamp Duty Land Tax come from the business.
Illustrative example. A distribution company buys a £800,000 warehouse near the A14. A 75% loan is £600,000, leaving a £200,000 deposit. At HMRC's non-residential rates (0% up to £150,000, 2% on the next £100,000, 5% above £250,000; rates as at October 2026, check the current rates before you buy), the SDLT is £29,500. See our costs page for fees, and our Northamptonshire page for the wider county.
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.
Where Kettering companies buy their business premises
Kettering Business Park
On the north side of the town at the A43 and A6003, Kettering Business Park is a Buccleuch Property development with new office buildings, a leisure sector and a hotel. It is the obvious first look for professional and service firms wanting modern owned offices, and its road access suits companies with staff travelling from across the county.
Town centre and Heritage Quarter
The Heritage Quarter holds the Manor House Museum and the Alfred East Gallery, and the Horsemarket bus interchange serves the centre. Retailers, cafes and service businesses buy shops and small offices here, and the Cornerstone regeneration scheme is aimed at making this part of town busier.
Burton Latimer
South-east of Kettering on the A6 and bus route 48, Burton Latimer is home to Weetabix. Suppliers, packaging firms and hauliers around the cereal maker look for industrial and storage space close to the A14 rather than town-centre premises.
Rothwell and Desborough
These two charter towns lie north-west of Kettering, linked by routes 17, 18 and 19 towards Market Harborough and Corby. Smaller manufacturers and trade businesses here often want a modest workshop or yard, where owning rather than renting gives them control over a building they may adapt.
