Arbroath is a historic coastal town and former royal burgh on the North Sea, some 16 miles east-northeast of Dundee and 45 miles south-southwest of Aberdeen. It is the largest town in Angus, with a population of 23,481 in 2022. The town began with Arbroath Abbey in 1178, grew through flax, jute and engineering in the Industrial Revolution, and became one of Scotland's larger fishing ports in the 20th century. It gives its name to the Declaration of Arbroath and the Arbroath smokie.
We are a commercial mortgage broker and do not lend. We arrange finance for limited companies that want to own the Arbroath building they trade from, or refinance one they already hold. This is a loan on business premises, separate from any residential mortgage.
Which businesses buy premises in the Burgh of Arbroath?
The 2011 census gave Arbroath an economically active population of 10,545. Health and social work accounted for 16.0% of jobs, wholesale and retail trade and repairs 15.2%, and manufacturing, the top sector in 2001, had fallen to third at 12.3%. Fishing itself employed fewer than 50 people by 2001, but processing is counted under manufacturing, and the smokie trade keeps smokehouses and food businesses near the harbour.
That mix produces a clear owner-occupier market: care providers and clinics, garages and repair workshops, wholesalers, shops and food processors. Manufacturing runs deep here, from the sailmaker Francis Webster Ltd, which perfected oiled flax sails in 1795, to waxed cotton production that lasted until the early 1970s. The Royal Marines of 45 Commando at RM Condor, with some 600 residents employed by the Ministry of Defence, add steady local spending. Care homes and hospitality are priced as trading businesses, typically 7.0 to 9.0% a year, indicative, subject to status, accounts and valuation.
Arbroath's working coast: engineers, hauliers and small makers
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Figures are for the Angus local authority area.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Arbroath share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farming, forestry and fishing | 650 | 14.4% | 4.5% |
| Construction and building trades | 565 | 12.5% | 12.5% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 540 | 12% | 14% |
| Retail | 405 | 9% | 9.4% |
| Business support services | 300 | 6.7% | 8.2% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 265 | 5.9% | 6.2% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 240 | 5.3% | 4.3% |
| Health and social care | 235 | 5.2% | 5.7% |
| Transport, logistics and storage | 200 | 4.4% | 4.2% |
- 3.1xfarming590 businesses
- 2.2xarchitecture and engineering260 businesses
- 2.0xhotels and accommodation75 businesses
- 1.9xmachinery 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.
Arbroath draws on an Angus economy where 83% of firms are micro businesses and only 10 are large employers. The 645 small and 110 medium-sized companies are the main buyers of owned premises, from engineering workshops to shops on the High Street.
Manufacturing and engineering makes up 5.3% of Angus businesses, 1.24 times the UK share, and repair and installation of machinery runs at 1.95 times. Transport and storage, at 4.4%, is slightly above the national 4.2%. A tidy unit on Kirkton with yard space suits all three trades, which gives a valuer a wide pool of likely occupiers.
Does flood risk on the Brothock Water affect a commercial property loan in Arbroath, Scotland?
It can, so check it early. The Brothock Water flows through the town from St Vigeans, parallel to the railway, and 19th-century flax and jute mills gathered along it to use the water for their steam-powered machinery. Its highest recorded level, 1.67 metres, came on 2 November 2009. A £12 million publicly funded scheme by Angus Council and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, completed in December 2022, created flood storage areas at Dammy Meadows and north of the town to protect parts of Arbroath at risk.
Lenders need the building to be insurable, and a valuer will note any flood history. For a former mill or a unit near the burn, ask your solicitor for the flood information at the outset and confirm that buildings insurance is available on normal terms. That stops the loan offer stalling at the last stage.
Kirkton, Elliot and Westway: where Arbroath firms own space
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Arbroath, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Kirkton Industrial EstateArbroath DD11 3AX
- Kirkton Enterprise CentreArbroath DD11 3RD
- Westway Retail ParkArbroath DD11 2NH
- Elliot Industrial EstateArbroath DD11 2NJ
How do the A92 and the railway serve owner-occupiers in Aberbrothock?
The A92 dual carriageway links Arbroath to Dundee and on across the Tay Road Bridge into Fife; north to Montrose and Stonehaven it is single carriageway before being dualled again to Aberdeen. The A933 runs north to Brechin. Within the town the A92 was singled in a project completed in August 2025 to make room for a cycle path and green space. The railway station, a short walk from the bus station, has ScotRail services to Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the Caledonian Sleeper stops on its way to London Euston.
What does premises finance in Arbroath, UK cost up front?
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending typically advance 70 to 75% of the price or valuation, at indicative rates of 6.0 to 7.5% a year for owner-occupiers, subject to status, accounts and valuation, over 5 to 25 years. Land and Buildings Transaction Tax applies: 0% up to £150,000, 1% from £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% above £250,000 on non-residential property (Revenue Scotland, rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy).
Illustrative example. A smokie producer buys a freehold processing unit near the harbour for £300,000. A 75% loan is £225,000, the deposit £75,000 and LBTT £3,500, so the business needs about £78,500 before fees. The lender takes a standard security registered with Registers of Scotland, and Angus Council's planning records confirm the use. 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.
Our property transaction tax guide compares LBTT with the rest of the UK, semi-commercial premises covers shops with flats above, and our Angus business mortgages page covers the wider council area.
Parts of Arbroath where businesses own their premises
The harbour
Arbroath's prospects first revolved around the harbour, enlarged in 1839 with a sea wall, quay walls and breakwater. Today the area around it is home to smokehouses, food producers, cafés and visitor businesses. Buildings here can be old and exposed to the sea, so a valuer will look closely at condition.
Brothock Water mill corridor
The Brothock Water and the railway divide the town east to west, and the old flax and jute mills stood along the burn. Converted mill buildings and the sites that replaced them offer workshops, storage and trade premises. Check flood information early on any building near the water.
St Vigeans and the outlying villages
St Vigeans, Carmyllie, Friockheim, Colliston and Inverkeilor count as part of Arbroath for council representation and share its 01241 dialling code. Farm businesses, rural workshops and small food producers here buy buildings that may have fewer comparable sales for the valuer to draw on.
The station and bus station
The railway and bus stations sit a short walk apart, with buses to Brechin, Dundee, Forfar and Montrose and the X7 Coastrider between Aberdeen and Dundee. Offices, shops and professional practices that rely on staff and visitors arriving by public transport tend to favour this part of town.
