Preston is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble and the administrative centre of Lancashire, seat of both Lancashire County Council and Preston City Council. It gained city status in 2002, had a population of 147,835 at the 2021 census, and its built-up area reaches 313,322. Once a textile boomtown, it now leans on tertiary education, defence and transport, and is home to the main campus of the University of Lancashire.
A business mortgage is a long-term loan secured on the premises a trading company occupies, so the company pays down its own asset instead of a landlord's. We arrange that finance as a broker: we never lend, and we approach the lenders whose criteria fit your business and building. It is commercial finance, not a residential mortgage. Preston is one of the towns on our Lancashire page.
Owner-occupier mortgages for logistics firms near M6 junction 31a
Preston sits between the M6, M55, M61 and M65, and that location has drawn several freight and haulage companies. The largest building in the city is the head office of James Hall and Co, which supplies produce for Spar stores across the north of England, just off junction 31a at Bowland View. Hauliers, wholesalers, vehicle workshops and parcel operators all compete for yards and warehouses with quick motorway access.
For a transport or distribution company, owning the depot removes the risk of a landlord ending the lease on a site that would be hard to replace. Lenders look for a solid trading record and will value the yard and buildings on their own merits. Indicative pricing for an owner-occupied depot is 6.0 to 7.5% a year at 70 to 75% loan to value, subject to status, accounts and valuation. Our business mortgages page explains the full process.
Preston's couriers, health practices and wholesalers
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Preston share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail | 910 | 12.5% | 9.3% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 880 | 12.1% | 13.9% |
| Construction and building trades | 830 | 11.4% | 12.5% |
| Business support services | 605 | 8.3% | 8.1% |
| Health and social care | 540 | 7.4% | 5.6% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 455 | 6.3% | 6.2% |
| Transport, logistics and storage | 380 | 5.2% | 4.2% |
| Property | 380 | 5.2% | 4.4% |
| Wholesale | 365 | 5% | 3.7% |
- 1.9xpostal and courier services165 businesses
- 1.6xhealthcare and medical practices325 businesses
- 1.4xrecruitment115 businesses
- 1.4xwholesale distribution365 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Courier firms run at 1.92 times the UK share in Preston, 165 businesses. Health practices appear at 1.59 times, and health and social care make up 7.4% of the city's 7,295 firms. Wholesale accounts for 5% against 3.7% nationally, and transport and logistics 5.2%.
Courier and logistics firms buying depots near the M6 are assessed on contracts and fleet. GP and dental practices buying premises are judged on NHS contracts and fee income, and are usually a straightforward owner-occupier case.
Buying office premises in Preston, England: Riversway, Winckley Square and the centre
The city has a large office market for its size. Matalan was founded here and still keeps its tax office in Winckley Square. Around the redeveloped Preston Docklands at Riversway, once Europe's largest single dock basin, several office areas have grown up. Tulketh Mill in Ashton-on-Ribble housed a call centre for around 800 staff, though Dixons Carphone had left it by August 2022.
Accountants, solicitors, architects, dental and medical practices and recruitment firms often buy their own offices once they are established. Lenders treat professional practices favourably when income is steady, and our page on franchise and professional practice mortgages covers how partnerships and LLPs are assessed.
Preston, Lancashire: industrial units up 52.5%
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 warehouse2,150properties on the rating listUp 52.5% since 2016Average rateable value £16,500factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices1,230properties on the rating listUp 3.4% since 2016Average rateable value £17,600offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail1,660properties on the rating listUnchanged since 2016Average rateable value £25,400shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial1,410properties on the rating listUp 15.6% since 2016Average rateable value £36,900pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Preston's estates, from Deepdale Mill to Fylde Road
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Preston, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Cotton Court Business CentrePreston PR1 3BY
- Kaymar Industrial EstatePreston PR1 4DL
- Springfield Industrial EstatePreston PR1 7JD
- Fylde Road Industrial EstatePreston PR1 2TY
- Wellfield Business ParkPreston PR1 8SZ
- Deepdale Mill Industrial EstatePreston PR1 5BY
- Dewhurst Industrial EstatePreston PR2 2NE
- West Stand Business ParkPreston PR1 8PQ
- Aqueduct Street Industrial EstateAshton-on-Ribble, Preston PR1 7JJ
- Oxheys Industrial EstatePreston PR1 7PH
- Crossley House Industrial EstatePenwortham, Preston PR1 9QP
- Middleforth Industrial EstatePenwortham, Preston PR1 9QD
Industrial stock in Preston rose from 1,410 to 2,150, up 52.5%, with an average rateable value of £16,500. Shops were unchanged at 1,660. Offices grew 3.4% to 1,230, at an average rateable value of £17,600. Total stock rose 17.5%. More industrial units give couriers and wholesalers more choice when buying, and recent transactions help valuers support the price.
Business property finance for defence suppliers in the Preston area
Preston is a major centre of the British defence aerospace industry. BAE Systems has its Military Aircraft headquarters at nearby Warton to the west of the city and a large site at Samlesbury to the east, over the M6, along with office space at Portway and The Strand. Specialist engineers, inspection firms and component makers have grown up around both sites.
Lenders are comfortable with defence work but always ask how concentrated a supplier's turnover is. A broad customer list and multi-year contracts make for a stronger application. In November 2018 Preston was named the most improved city in the UK, with unemployment down to 3.1% from 6.5% in 2014.
Commercial property purchase costs in the City of Preston district
Planning for most of the city sits with Preston City Council; the south bank of the Ribble is in the separate South Ribble borough. The lender takes a legal charge registered at HM Land Registry, and the purchase pays Stamp Duty Land Tax.
Illustrative example. A haulier buys a freehold depot for £700,000. A 75% loan is £525,000, so the deposit is £175,000. SDLT at HMRC's non-residential rates as at October 2026 works out at £24,500: nothing on the first £150,000, 2% on the next £100,000 (£2,000) and 5% on the £450,000 above £250,000 (£22,500). Legal and valuation fees are extra; our guide to the costs lists them.
Preston districts and business areas
Ashton-on-Ribble and Riversway
West of the centre, Riversway is home to the redeveloped Preston Docklands and the office areas that surround the old basin. Ashton-on-Ribble also contains Tulketh Mill, a converted mill used as a large call centre. Buyers here are usually office occupiers and service businesses wanting modern space close to the city.
Fulwood
Fulwood was merged with the County Borough of Preston in 1974. It hosts Ultra Electronics and business process outsourcing operations, and has a mix of offices, light industrial units and local retail. Its northern position gives easy access to the M6 and M55.
Winckley Square and the city centre
Winckley Square is the traditional home of Preston's professional offices, including Matalan's tax office. The wider centre holds shops, restaurants and the university campus, so premises range from offices around the square to retail units serving students, shoppers and visitors to Preston North End.
Bowland View and junction 31a
Off M6 junction 31a, Bowland View is where James Hall and Co has its head office, the largest building in the city. The area suits hauliers, wholesalers and distribution businesses that need large yards and fast access to the motorway network north and south.
Walton-le-Dale and South Ribble
Across the river, the south bank forms part of the Preston urban area but sits in the separate South Ribble borough. Walton-le-Dale has evidence of a Roman camp, and today the area offers trade, retail and industrial premises close to Bamber Bridge and the M6 and M61.
