Inverurie is a market town at the confluence of the rivers Ury and Don, about 16 miles north-west of Aberdeen, known locally as the Heart of the Garioch. It had a population of 15,106 in 2022. Beyond service and commerce its main industries are agriculture and oil, and it still holds a monthly farmers' market alongside many small shops, businesses and services. The bakery chain JG Ross has its headquarters here.
We broker commercial mortgages; we do not lend. In Inverurie we arrange finance for limited companies that want to own, or refinance, the building their business runs from. It is lending on commercial premises for a trading company, not a home loan.
Which buildings do firms in Inverurie, Scotland buy with an owner-occupier mortgage?
The town's mix is broad. Retailers, cafés and professional practices occupy the triangular centre, dominated by the Town Hall of 1863, and the main shopping streets of the Market Place and West High Street. Farm suppliers, agricultural engineers and vehicle businesses look for workshops and yards on the edges of town, and oil-related firms need storage and workshop space within reach of Aberdeen. A 98,000 sq ft retail park, opened in June 2009, added larger-format units.
Industrial history runs through the commercial stock too. The Great North of Scotland Railway built its locomotive construction and repair works here on a 15-acre site, and old railway and industrial buildings can be fundable where the condition and planning use are sound. Our page on business mortgages explains the basics of buying your premises.
What Inverurie firms do, from oil engineering to farm supply
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Figures are for the Aberdeenshire local authority area.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Inverurie share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farming, forestry and fishing | 2,855 | 19.9% | 4.5% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 2,435 | 17% | 13.9% |
| Construction and building trades | 1,660 | 11.6% | 12.5% |
| Business support services | 1,060 | 7.4% | 8.1% |
| Retail | 870 | 6.1% | 9.4% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 815 | 5.7% | 4.3% |
| Health and social care | 565 | 3.9% | 5.6% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 550 | 3.8% | 6.1% |
| Transport, logistics and storage | 465 | 3.2% | 4.2% |
- 32.7xfishing and aquaculture575 businesses
- 3.9xforestry90 businesses
- 3.7xenergy supply130 businesses
- 3.7xfarming2,190 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Aberdeenshire's 14,335 business units include 1,330 architectural, engineering and technical testing firms, 3.5 times the UK share and a legacy of the oil and gas supply chain. Farming, forestry and fishing accounts for 19.9% of businesses, and manufacturing and engineering for 5.7% against 4.3% nationally.
Inverurie sits where those worlds meet, which is why a modern workshop with office space and parking appeals to both engineering and agricultural buyers. A unit with that broad appeal tends to value well, because the surveyor can see more than one type of occupier for it.
How do the A96 and the railway shape a commercial property loan in the Garioch?
Inverurie lies on the A96, and a bypass opened on 7 December 1990 took the trunk road around the town. Inverurie railway station is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line, and the nearest airport is Aberdeen Airport at Dyce. For a company selling across the north-east, that makes the town a practical base: close enough to Aberdeen for customers and staff, with its own market-town economy.
A valuer pays attention to access. Units with quick routes to the bypass, good parking and lorry access are typically easier to re-let, which supports the lender's view of the security. Town-centre premises are judged more on footfall and the strength of the shopping streets.
Inverurie units from Harlaw to Thainstone Business Centre
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Inverurie, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Inverurie Business ParkInverurie AB51 0ZJ
- Inverurie Retail ParkInverurie
- Harlaw Industrial EstateInverurie AB51 4SG
- Harlaw Road Industrial EstateInverurie AB51 4SG
- Blackhall Industrial EstateInverurie AB51 4FW
- Kirkwood Commercial ParkInverurie AB51 5WU
- Axis Business CentreThainstone, Inverurie AB51 5TB
- Thainstone Business CentreGrampian, Inverurie AB51 5TB
- Thainstone Business ParkInverurie AB51 5GT
- Kintore Business ParkInverurie AB51 0YQ
- Kintone Business ParkInverurie AB51 0YQ
Costs, LBTT and security for premises finance in Inverurie, UK
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending typically lend 70 to 75% of the price or valuation, with indicative rates of 6.0 to 7.5% a year for an owner-occupier, subject to status, accounts and valuation. LBTT replaces stamp duty: Revenue Scotland charges 0% to £150,000, 1% from £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% above that on non-residential purchases (rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy).
Illustrative example. A retailer buys a shop with offices on West High Street for £240,000. A 75% loan is £180,000 and the deposit £60,000, while LBTT is only £900. Our commercial property tax guide has the full bands.
Aberdeenshire Council is the planning authority, and the lender's security is a standard security registered with Registers of Scotland. 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. For other towns in the shire, see Aberdeenshire commercial mortgages.
Business areas of Inverurie
Market Place and West High Street
The main shopping areas run from the square, with its war memorial capped by a lone Gordon Highlander, towards the more residential side of town. Independent retailers, cafés, estate agents, solicitors and accountants trade here, and a building with a flat above is treated as semi-commercial, with lenders typically going up to 75% loan to value.
Thainstone
The Thainstone Centre, south-east of the town, is a large livestock market that also rents commercial units to agricultural support services, oil industry storage yards and vehicle hire companies. Tenants who outgrow rented space there are a natural source of owner-occupier purchases, often of yards or workshops around the town.
Port Elphinstone
South of the River Don, Port Elphinstone is part of the Royal Burgh of Inverurie and takes its name from the former Aberdeenshire Canal, which ran to Aberdeen. Its old railway freight depot is now disused. The area suits trades and light industrial businesses that want to be close to the town without being in the centre.
The A96 corridor
Since 1990 the A96 has skirted the town rather than running through it. Businesses that rely on vehicle access to Aberdeen and Inverness, such as trade counters, vehicle hire and storage operators, look for sites with quick routes onto the bypass.
