Crewe is a railway town in the Cheshire East part of Cheshire, 28 miles south of Manchester city centre and 31 miles south-east of Liverpool. It is best known as a large railway junction and the home of Crewe Works, once a major locomotive manufacturing and overhaul facility and now owned by Alstom for train maintenance and inspection. From 1946 until 2002 the town also built Rolls-Royce cars, and the Pyms Lane factory in the west of the town now produces Bentley motor cars exclusively. BAE Systems makes small arms ammunition at Radway Green, near Alsager.
Around those employers sits a supply chain of engineers, fabricators, logistics firms and service businesses. We arrange business mortgages for trading companies like these that want to buy or refinance the premises they occupy. We are a broker, never a lender, and this is finance for a trading business's commercial premises, not a residential mortgage.
Which premises do firms in Crewe, England buy?
Mostly industrial and business park space. Several business parks around the town host light industry and offices. Crewe Business Park is a 67-acre site with offices, research and IT manufacturing, where Air Products and Fujitsu have a presence. The 12-acre Crewe Gates Industrial Estate next to it houses smaller industry, including the ice cream van maker Whitby Morrison. Weston Gate has light industry and distribution, Marshfield Bank Employment Park to the west includes offices, manufacturing and distribution, and there are industrial units at Radway Green.
An owner-occupier mortgage is a loan secured on premises the borrowing company uses for its own trade and repaid from its profits. Lenders active in owner-occupier lending price these loans at an indicative 6.0 to 7.5% a year at 70 to 75% loan to value, over 5 to 25 years, indicative, subject to status, accounts and valuation. Suppliers whose income depends on one large customer, such as a car plant or the rail works, should expect questions about contract length and customer concentration. Our owner-occupier mortgage page explains the assessment.
Wholesalers, researchers and consultancies across Cheshire East
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Figures are for the Cheshire East local authority area.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Crewe share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical | 3,875 | 17.3% | 14% |
| Construction and building trades | 2,255 | 10.1% | 12.6% |
| Business support services | 1,955 | 8.7% | 8.1% |
| Retail | 1,865 | 8.3% | 9.3% |
| Information and communication | 1,330 | 5.9% | 6.1% |
| Farming, forestry and fishing | 1,315 | 5.9% | 4.5% |
| Health and social care | 1,180 | 5.3% | 5.6% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 1,155 | 5.2% | 6.3% |
| Property | 1,050 | 4.7% | 4.4% |
- 1.8xscientific research85 businesses
- 1.7xveterinary practices85 businesses
- 1.5xmanagement consultancy1,695 businesses
- 1.4xfarming1,275 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
These figures cover the whole Cheshire East council area, 22,390 businesses, including Crewe, Macclesfield and Congleton. Wholesale makes up 4.4% of firms against 3.7% nationally, a fit with Crewe's rail and motorway links. Scientific research and development runs at 1.82 times the UK share, and head offices and management consultancies number 1,695.
Wholesalers buying a warehouse near the M6 are assessed on stock turnover and margins. Consultancies buying offices are judged more on profit and fee income. Both are familiar cases for owner-occupier lenders.
Rail connections and the town centre: what lenders weigh in the Crewe area
Crewe station is one of the largest in the North West and a major interchange on the West Coast Main Line, with 12 platforms in use and six train operating companies. Avanti West Coast runs to London Euston in an average of around 1 hour 35 minutes, as well as to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool and Holyhead for ferries to Dublin. For businesses with national customers, that connectivity is a genuine reason to own here, and lenders recognise it when they consider resale.
In Crewe town centre the stock is more modest. The Victoria Centre and the Market Centre are two small shopping centres, Grand Junction Retail Park lies just outside the centre, and Nantwich Road has a wide range of secondary local shops and estate agents. Retail buyers there often look at shops with flats above, which are financed as semi-commercial premises at indicative rates of 6.5 to 8.5% a year. A planned town centre redevelopment was abandoned in 2008, and Cheshire East Council has since produced a regeneration master plan, so check the latest plans near any shop you are considering.
Crewe, Cheshire East: offices up 25.8% since 2016
Valuation Office Agency, non-domestic rating stock of properties, March 2026. Figures for the Cheshire East council area. Average rateable value is the VOA's estimate of annual rent, not a sale price.
- Industrial and warehouse3,480properties on the rating listUp 3.9% since 2016Average rateable value £38,400factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices3,900properties on the rating listUp 25.8% since 2016Average rateable value £15,600offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail3,350properties on the rating listDown 3.7% since 2016Average rateable value £25,700shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial4,870properties on the rating listUp 38.7% since 2016Average rateable value £22,900pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Crewe's business parks, from Macon to Underwood
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Crewe, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Grand Junction Retail ParkCrewe CW1 2RP
- Macon Business ParkCrewe CW1 6DG
- Valley Brook Business CentreMill St, Crewe CW2 7DT
- Underwood Business ParkCrewe CW1 3SA
- Underwood Industrial EstateCrewe CW1 3TJ
- First Business ParkCrewe CW1 6BG
- Crewe Business ParkCrewe CW1 6ZQ
- Crewe Hall Enterprise ParkHaslington, Crewe CW1 6UL
- Spring Farm Business CentreSpring Farm Business Centre, Moss Ln, Madeley, Crewe CW1 4RJ
- Huntsbank Business ParkWistaston, Crewe CW2 6QT
- Blakelow Business ParkBlakelow, Shavington, Crewe CW5 7ET
- Alvaston Business ParkNantwich CW5 6PF
Office numbers across Cheshire East rose 25.8% to 3,900, averaging a rateable value of £15,600. Industrial stock grew 3.9% to 3,480, at an average of £38,400. The 'other' category grew 38.7%. Shops fell 3.7%. A growing office market gives smaller firms more choice when moving from rented space to their own.
Stamp duty, legal charge and planning for business premises finance in Crewe, UK
Crewe is in England, so Stamp Duty Land Tax is due at HMRC's non-residential rates: 0% up to £150,000, 2% from £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% above £250,000 (rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy). The lender takes a first legal charge registered at HM Land Registry, and Cheshire East Council handles planning. Our commercial stamp duty guide covers leases and VAT too.
Illustrative example. A rail engineering supplier buys an industrial unit for £380,000. At 75% the loan is £285,000 and the deposit £95,000. SDLT is £8,500, plus legal and valuation fees from the company's own funds. Commercial lending to a limited company is unregulated and falls outside the FCA's regulated mortgage perimeter; where a deal would be regulated, we refer it to an appropriately authorised firm.
Crewe business parks and estates
Crewe Business Park
A 67-acre site of offices, research and IT manufacturing, home to operations of Air Products and Fujitsu. Technology and professional firms buying offices here are valued against other business park space, and lenders look at specification and parking provision.
Crewe Gates Industrial Estate
The 12-acre estate next to the business park holds smaller industrial firms, including Whitby Morrison, which builds ice cream vans. Fabricators, vehicle specialists and trade firms buy units here, often as their first owned premises.
Weston Gate
Weston Gate combines light industry and distribution. Logistics operators and suppliers to the local manufacturers value its position, and lenders will check building specification, loading and yard space when they value.
Marshfield Bank Employment Park
To the west of the town, Marshfield Bank includes offices, manufacturing and distribution, on the same side of town as the Bentley factory on Pyms Lane. Automotive suppliers and engineering firms are natural buyers, and lenders ask about customer concentration.
Radway Green
Near Alsager, Radway Green has industrial and light industrial units alongside the BAE Systems ammunition factory. Defence and engineering suppliers buying here should have contract details ready, as lenders will want to understand the income behind the accounts.
Nantwich Road
Nantwich Road is the town's secondary shopping street, with a variety of small retailers and estate agents. Independent shops with accommodation above are common, financed as semi-commercial property.
