Northampton is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of West Northamptonshire, set on the River Nene about 60 miles north-west of London. Wikipedia gives its urban area a population of 249,093 at the 2021 census, which makes it one of the largest towns in England. It was a footwear and leather town for two centuries; its main private-sector employers are now in distribution and finance.
We arrange business mortgages for trading companies in Northampton that want to buy, or refinance, the premises they work from. We are a broker, not a lender, and this is commercial finance for a company's own building rather than a home loan. For the rest of the county, see our Northamptonshire business mortgages page.
What kinds of premises are Northampton, England firms buying?
The town's history is still visible in its buildings. Specialist shoemakers such as Church's, Crockett & Jones, Edward Green and Barker Shoes continue to trade, and many of the old shoe factories have been converted to offices, often sitting among terraced streets built for factory workers. Those conversions suit professional firms, agencies and small manufacturers who want character space near the centre.
Engineering arrived after the war, with the British Timken bearing factory at Duston, and distribution followed the New Town designation in 1968. Employers today include Carlsberg, whose brewery here was the first outside Denmark, Travis Perkins, Panasonic, Coca-Cola and Texas Instruments. The suppliers, installers and wholesalers that serve those businesses tend to buy light industrial and warehouse units on the edge of town. In 2014 Experian named Northampton "the best place in the UK to start and run a business". A company that started in rented space often reaches the point where owning the building makes more sense than paying a landlord.
Couriers, hauliers and car parts: the trade mix in West Northants
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Figures are for the West Northamptonshire local authority area.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Northampton share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction and building trades | 3,165 | 14.4% | 12.5% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 2,945 | 13.4% | 14% |
| Transport, logistics and storage | 1,865 | 8.5% | 4.2% |
| Business support services | 1,860 | 8.5% | 8.2% |
| Retail | 1,545 | 7% | 9.3% |
| Information and communication | 1,135 | 5.2% | 6.2% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 1,130 | 5.1% | 6.1% |
| Health and social care | 1,120 | 5.1% | 5.6% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 970 | 4.4% | 4.3% |
- 2.2xmotor vehicles and parts55 businesses
- 2.1xpostal and courier services550 businesses
- 2.1xroad haulage and land transport980 businesses
- 1.8xwarehousing and logistics320 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
West Northamptonshire has 21,965 business units, and logistics is the standout. Transport, logistics and storage is 8.5% of firms, more than twice the 4.2% UK share, with postal and courier operators at 2.13 times and warehousing at 1.81 times the national rate. Vehicle and trailer manufacturing also runs at 2.16 times.
Construction is the largest group at 14.4%. A courier depot or trade counter with yard space is a common owner-occupier purchase in this kind of market, and a lender will focus on how well the site works for vans and lorries.
Owner-occupier mortgage terms for the Northampton area
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending typically offer 70 to 75% of the lower of price and valuation, with terms of 5 to 25 years. Indicative rates are 6.0 to 7.5% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation. Lenders want to see that the company's profits cover the repayments with room to spare, usually from two or three years of filed accounts.
Illustrative example. A Northampton print business buys the freehold of a converted factory floor for £400,000. A 75% loan is £300,000 and the deposit £100,000. SDLT is charged at HMRC's non-residential rates of 0% to £150,000, 2% to £250,000 and 5% above (rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy), which comes to £9,500 here. Our business mortgages page covers the lending in more depth.
Northampton's high-value industrial buildings
Valuation Office Agency, non-domestic rating stock of properties, March 2026. Figures for the West Northamptonshire council area. Average rateable value is the VOA's estimate of annual rent, not a sale price.
- Industrial and warehouse4,130properties on the rating listUp 8.7% since 2016Average rateable value £75,900factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices2,660properties on the rating listUp 6.4% since 2016Average rateable value £16,200offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail2,330properties on the rating listUp 1.7% since 2016Average rateable value £24,500shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial3,240properties on the rating listUp 8.7% since 2016Average rateable value £36,900pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Northampton estates from Brackmills to Weedon Road
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Northampton, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Rothersthorpe Avenue Industrial EstateRothersthorpe Avenue Ind Estate, Northampton NN4 8HQ
- Northampton Business CentreNorthampton NN1 2JL
- Grafton Street Industrial EstateNorthampton
- Brackmills Industrial EstateNorthampton
- Rhosili Road Brackmills Industrial EstateNorthampton NN4 7AN
- Brackmills Business ParkNorthampton NN4 7PW
- Tungsten Business ParkHardingstone, Northampton NN4 7PY
- Weedon Road Industrial EstateNorthampton NN5 5AX
- Cornwell Business ParkNorthampton NN4 7EX
- Sterling Business ParkNorthampton NN4 7EX
- Sketty Close Brackmills Industrial EstateNorthampton NN4 7PL
- Queens Park Industrial EstateNorthampton NN2 6NA
The average industrial rateable value across West Northamptonshire is £75,900, three times the £24,500 average for shops, which reflects the large warehouses at Brackmills and along the M1. Industrial entries grew 8.7% to 4,130. Offices grew 6.4%. A smaller firm should expect its valuation to be compared with units of a similar size, not the big distribution sheds that lift the average.
Shops and retail units: business property finance in Northampton, UK
The market square dates back to 1235 and is one of the largest in Britain. It links to Abington Street, the main shopping street, and to two indoor centres, the Grosvenor Centre and Market Walk. Out of the centre, St James Retail Park, Weston Favell Shopping Centre, Riverside Retail Park and Sixfields host national chains and independent specialists.
Independent retailers and food businesses buying a shop in the centre often find it comes with upper floors. If there is a flat above, it is semi-commercial: see our guide to semi-commercial premises. 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.
Northampton districts where companies buy their premises
Town centre and Abington Street
The market square and Abington Street form the retail core, with the Grosvenor Centre and Market Walk alongside. Old shoe factories nearby have become offices. This is where we see independent shops, cafes, professional practices and small studios buying freehold space, often with upper floors that need a lender comfortable with mixed use.
Duston
Duston, on the west side, was home to the British Timken bearing factory from 1941 until 2002, once a major engineering and apprentice employer. The suburb now has its own parish council. Engineering and trade businesses in the west of the town look at industrial and workshop units with easy access to the M1.
Sixfields
Sixfields in the west of Northampton is one of the out-of-town retail and leisure locations named alongside St James and Riverside. Businesses here include trade counters, car-related services and leisure operators, and owner-occupiers typically want larger footprints with parking that a town-centre shop cannot offer.
Weston Favell and Riverside
On the east side, Weston Favell Shopping Centre dates from the 1970s and Riverside Retail Park sits nearby. Service businesses, clinics and retailers that serve the eastern estates buy or refinance units here, and lenders value them on how easily another occupier could take the space.
Far Cotton and St James
Far Cotton gained its own parish council in 2021, and St James Retail Park sits just south of the town centre. Close to the river and the station, the area mixes older industrial buildings with retail, giving small manufacturers and trade suppliers a choice of workshops near the centre.
Kingsthorpe
Kingsthorpe, in the north of Northampton, is another of the areas given its own parish council when the borough was abolished. Its shopping parades suit local service businesses such as pharmacies, dental practices and takeaways, where a company buying its own shop gains long-term control of its location.
