Nottingham is the East Midlands' largest economy and its business base leans heavily towards offices, science and services. Boots, Experian, E.ON Energy UK, Capital One, Games Workshop and Specsavers all have headquarters here, alongside the HMRC, Ofsted and Care Quality Commission offices. Around them sit the smaller firms that make up most of our enquiries: accountants, solicitors, clinics, agencies, software houses and specialist retailers who have outgrown a lease and want an asset of their own.
Business Mortgages Broker arranges business mortgages for trading companies across the city. We are a broker, not a lender. The loan is secured on premises your company occupies and is assessed on the company's trading record. It is not a residential mortgage.
Owner-occupier mortgages for Nottingham, England's science and service firms
Nottingham was named one of the UK's six science cities in 2005. BioCity, founded by Nottingham Trent University and the University of Nottingham, is described as the UK's biggest bioscience innovation and incubation centre, with around 80 science-based companies. In 2010 the city council chose low-carbon technology, digital media, life sciences, financial and business services, and retail and leisure as its target sectors, and in 2014 to 2015 more new companies were started in Nottingham than in any other UK city.
Young, fast-growing companies often want to buy once they have two or three years of accounts. Lenders will look at the trend in profit as much as the latest figure, and lab or clean-room fit-outs are usually valued as ordinary office or industrial space, so the deposit has to cover the difference. Our page on owner-occupier mortgages explains the assessment.
Practices, restaurants and landlords: Nottingham city's firms
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Nottingham share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical | 1,555 | 12.6% | 14% |
| Retail | 1,375 | 11.1% | 9.3% |
| Construction and building trades | 1,075 | 8.7% | 12.6% |
| Health and social care | 1,025 | 8.3% | 5.6% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 1,015 | 8.2% | 6.2% |
| Business support services | 970 | 7.8% | 8% |
| Property | 695 | 5.6% | 4.4% |
| Transport, logistics and storage | 660 | 5.3% | 4.2% |
| Information and communication | 645 | 5.2% | 6.1% |
- 5.5xinsurance and pensions120 businesses
- 1.9xresidential care250 businesses
- 1.8xscientific research45 businesses
- 1.5xfinancial and insurance support services195 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Nottingham's 12,375 business units lean towards services and care. Health and social care makes up 8.3% of firms, nearly one and a half times the UK share, and residential care runs at 1.85 times. Restaurants, cafes and pubs reach 8.2% against 6.2% nationally, and scientific research and development is 1.75 times the UK rate.
The city also has a high proportion of medium and large employers, with 2,535 small and medium firms and 90 large. Dental practices, clinics and restaurants buying their premises are assessed partly on turnover, so strong trading figures matter as much as the building.
Buying retail or practice premises in the City of Nottingham
Nottingham came seventh in Harper Dennis Hobbs's Top 50 British Centres in 2017. The Bridlesmith Gate area holds designer shops, including the original Paul Smith boutique, while Poultry Walk, West End Arcade, Hurts Yard, Derby Road, Flying Horse Walk, the Exchange Arcade and Hockley carry specialist and independent traders. Freehold shops with upper floors come up across these streets.
Professional practices such as dental, optical, veterinary and accountancy firms often buy smaller period buildings near the centre. Lenders treat these practices well where income is steady; see practice and franchise mortgages. If a building includes a flat that a director or close relative will live in, the loan may become 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.
Nottingham's changing stock: fewer shops and units, more offices
Valuation Office Agency, non-domestic rating stock of properties, March 2026. Average rateable value is the VOA's estimate of annual rent, not a sale price.
- Industrial and warehouse2,960properties on the rating listDown 1.7% since 2016Average rateable value £19,500factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices2,600properties on the rating listUp 13% since 2016Average rateable value £25,000offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail2,980properties on the rating listDown 3.9% since 2016Average rateable value £28,700shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial3,180properties on the rating listUp 8.5% since 2016Average rateable value £38,700pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Nottingham estates from Robin Hood to the Portal Business Park
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Nottingham, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Nottingham 26 Business ParkNottingham
- Robin Hood Industrial EstateNottingham NG3 1GE
- St Bartholomews Business ParkSt Bartholomews Rd, Nottingham NG3 3GH
- Bloomsgrove Industrial EstateNottingham NG7 3JG
- Thornfield Industrial EstateNottingham NG3 2NJ
- The Portal Business ParkNottingham NG2 1AH
- Portal Business ParkNottingham NG2 1AH
- Adco Business ParkNottingham NG7 5NR
- Lewis Industrial EstateNottingham
- NG2 Business ParkNottingham
- Castle Park Industrial EstateNottingham NG2 1GW
- Trent Lane Industrial EstateNottingham NG2 4DS
Nottingham's shop count fell 3.9% to 2,980, and industrial premises slipped 1.7% to 2,960. Offices went the other way, up 13% to 2,600, with a relatively high average rateable value of £25,000. Industrial units are modest, averaging £19,500. A firm buying a workshop inside the city faces a shrinking pool of units, which tends to support values for owners.
Commercial property finance costs in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Indicative pricing for owner-occupiers is 6.0 to 7.5% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation, at 70 to 75% loan to value over 5 to 25 years. The lender takes a first legal charge at HM Land Registry, normally with directors' guarantees.
Illustrative example. A Nottingham software company buys a freehold office for £550,000. A 75% loan is £412,500, leaving a deposit of £137,500. Stamp Duty Land Tax is 2% of £100,000 (£2,000) plus 5% of £300,000 (£15,000): £17,000, using HMRC non-residential rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy. The full bands are in our commercial stamp duty guide.
Nottingham's transport links and where to buy in the Nottm area
Nottingham Express Transit trams run from the city centre north to Hucknall, south to Toton Lane, and between Phoenix Park and Clifton. Nottingham station is served by CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway and Northern, and East Midlands Airport is close by. A building near a tram stop is easier for staff to reach, which matters to office occupiers and to a valuer considering who else might take the space. For the towns beyond the city boundary, see our Nottinghamshire commercial mortgages page.
Nottingham neighbourhoods and business streets we cover
Bridlesmith Gate
The city's best-known designer shopping street, home to the original Paul Smith boutique, with specialist shops in the side streets and alleys around it. Owner-occupiers here are mostly fashion, lifestyle and food retailers buying period shop units, sometimes with offices above.
Hockley and the Creative Quarter
Hockley is one of the city's smaller shopping areas, part of the district promoted as the Creative Quarter. Independent shops, studios, bars and digital and media firms occupy older buildings here, which suits companies buying characterful space for staff and clients.
Sneinton
East of the centre, where independent music company Earache Records is based on Handel Street. A mix of workshops, studios and small commercial buildings makes it a practical choice for creative and light industrial businesses wanting to own rather than rent.
Derby Road
Once known for antiques, Derby Road is one of the notable streets for specialist shops and small businesses. Its terraced commercial buildings attract retailers, clinics and professional firms looking for street-front premises within reach of the centre.
Rushcliffe
Just outside the city boundary to the south, ranked in 2025 among the most affluent constituencies in England. Professional practices, clinics and consumer businesses often buy here to be close to their clients, in offices and local-centre shops.
