Stafford is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, about 15 miles south of Stoke-on-Trent and 15 miles north of Wolverhampton. The town had 71,673 people at the 2021 census and is the main settlement in the Borough of Stafford. Founded in 913 as a defensive burh by Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, it grew into an industrial town on shoemaking, engineering and electrical industries.
We arrange commercial mortgages for Stafford trading companies that want to own their premises: finance secured on a business building, not a residential mortgage. We are a broker, not a lender, and take each case to the lenders whose criteria fit it. Stafford sits within our Staffordshire business mortgages coverage.
Engineering heritage and owner-occupier mortgages in Stafford, England
Heavy electrical engineering, particularly power station transformers, has been a major activity since 1901. The works passed through Siemens Brothers, English Electric, GEC, Alstom and Areva before General Electric acquired them at the end of 2015, making Stafford its Centre of Excellence for HVDC, AC substations and converter transformers. Perkins Engines has a diesel engine factory in Littleworth, Bostik makes adhesives on Common Road, and Universal Grinding Wheel moved from Doxey Road to an industrial park in the north of the town before its old factory was demolished in 2019.
Earlier, the Castle Engine Works in Castle Town produced 1,869 locomotives between 1875 and 1962. That depth of engineering supports a supply chain of fabricators, electrical contractors and precision engineers, and those are the firms most likely to buy a unit. Lenders want to see trading accounts, profit that covers the repayments and a building another engineer would take on. Our owner-occupier mortgages page sets out the detail.
County town economics: farms, public bodies and Stafford's garages
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Stafford share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical | 755 | 11.6% | 13.8% |
| Construction and building trades | 720 | 11.1% | 12.5% |
| Retail | 650 | 10% | 9.3% |
| Farming, forestry and fishing | 620 | 9.6% | 4.5% |
| Business support services | 485 | 7.5% | 8.2% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 405 | 6.2% | 6.2% |
| Health and social care | 390 | 6% | 5.6% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 340 | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Information and communication | 300 | 4.6% | 6.1% |
- 2.2xfarming605 businesses
- 1.7xpublic administration85 businesses
- 1.4xfabricated metal products65 businesses
- 1.4xmachinery repair and installation45 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
As Staffordshire's administrative centre, Stafford has a slightly unusual business mix. Public administration bodies run at 1.7 times the UK share, and farming, forestry and fishing makes up 9.6% of the borough's 6,495 firms, more than double the national figure. Retail is at 10% and health and social care at 6%, both a little above average.
There are 260 motor trade businesses, and garages and body shops are classic owner-occupiers: specialist fit-out, environmental checks on the land and a valuation that leans on the site as much as the building. Only 25 large firms are based in the borough, so most borrowers are owner-managed.
Premises finance for public-sector suppliers and professionals in the Borough of Stafford
The public sector is a large local employer: Staffordshire County Council, Stafford Borough Council and Staffordshire Police are all headquartered here, alongside Stafford Prison, County Hospital and MOD Stafford. Stafford is also a dormitory town for Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham. The University of Staffordshire's computing campus and Beaconside campus have been transferred to Stoke-on-Trent.
Consultancies, accountants, solicitors and contractors serving that public-sector base often buy small office buildings or business units. Lenders treat an office purchase much like an industrial one, with emphasis on whether the space would suit a range of future occupiers.
Stafford's commercial property, counted in 2016 and 2026
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 warehouse1,350properties on the rating listUp 14.4% since 2016Average rateable value £42,400factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices890properties on the rating listUp 17.1% since 2016Average rateable value £13,100offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail1,040properties on the rating listUp 5.1% since 2016Average rateable value £25,600shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial1,250properties on the rating listUp 11.6% since 2016Average rateable value £34,600pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Owned units around Stafford: Astonfields, Greyfriars and Colgate
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Stafford, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Shire Hall Business CentreStafford ST16 2LD
- The Business CentreForegate St, Stafford ST16 2QY
- Parkfield Business CentrePark, Parkfield House, Parkfield Business Centre, 1 Park St, Stafford ST17 4AL
- Greyfriars Business ParkStafford ST16 2RF
- Totem Business Centre Colgate Industrial EstateStafford ST16 3HF
- Marston Road Industrial EstateStafford ST16 3BX
- Astonfields Industrial EstateStafford ST16 3UF
- Oakridge Business CentreStafford ST16 3RS
- Astonfields Road Astonfields Industrial EstateStafford ST16 3UF
- Carver Business ParkStafford ST16 3HR
- St Albans Road Industrial EstateStafford ST16 3DR
- Common Road Industrial EstateStafford ST16 3EA
Stafford's commercial stock has grown 12.1% since 2016, to 4,530 rated properties. Industrial units led with a 14.4% rise, and their £42,400 average rateable value suggests sizeable buildings rather than starter workshops. Offices are up 17.1%, though at £13,100 on average they are mostly small. For a buyer, newer industrial space near the M6 gives a valuer recent evidence to work from.
Access, tax and refinancing for a commercial property loan in Stafford, UK
Junctions 13 and 14 of the M6 serve the town, and the A34 runs through the centre to Stone and Stoke-on-Trent. Stafford station is on the West Coast Main Line, with Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry and London Northwestern Railway services, and a junction for Birmingham New Street. A unit near either motorway junction will usually be valued with plenty of evidence from comparable lettings.
A Stafford purchase pays Stamp Duty Land Tax at HMRC's non-residential rates: 0% to £150,000, 2% from £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% above £250,000, rates as at October 2026 (our guide to stamp duty on commercial property shows the method). The lender takes a first legal charge at HM Land Registry and Stafford Borough Council handles planning.
Illustrative example. A Stafford electrical contractor buys a freehold unit for £500,000. A 75% loan is £375,000 and the deposit £125,000. SDLT is £2,000 plus £12,500, a total of £14,500. Indicative pricing is 6.0 to 7.5% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation.
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.
Stafford districts and industrial locations
Common Road and the north of the town
Bostik's UK headquarters and factory are on Common Road, and Universal Grinding Wheel relocated to an industrial park in the north of the town. With M6 junction 14 close by, this is the natural location for manufacturers and engineering suppliers buying industrial units.
Littleworth
Perkins Engines has its diesel engine factory in Littleworth. The area combines that large employer with smaller trade and service premises, and firms supplying the plant often want a site close to it.
Castle Town
Home of the Castle Engine Works, where W. G. Bagnall built locomotives from 1875. Castle Town's industrial heritage means older buildings alongside newer units, and valuers look closely at how well an older works suits a modern occupier.
Doxey
The Doxey Road site of Universal Grinding Wheel covered 44 acres before the factory was demolished in 2019. Former industrial land like this can be redeveloped, so business buyers here should check planning status and title carefully before agreeing a price.
Stafford town centre
The A34 runs through the centre, where the county council, borough council and police headquarters bring daily footfall. Shops, offices and practices change hands here, including buildings with flats above that are financed as semi-commercial property.
