If you have a great idea for a start-up, or have already established a small business and want it to grow, one of the first things you’ll need to consider is where your business should be based.
If you’re thinking about basing your business in the North of England, you’ve probably considered major cities such as Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and Liverpool (all of which fall under the auspices of the Northern Powerhouse). Those cities have plenty to offer … but Bolton really needs to be at the top of your list.
How do you choose a business location?
Here are the main things you need to think about when choosing your business location. As you’ll see, Bolton ticks every box!
1. What type of accommodation will suit your business (working from home, an office, a retail unit or a unit in an industrial estate) and how much will it cost?
This will depend on the nature of your business and your budget. Whether you’re looking for warehousing, retail space, offices or just somewhere you can afford to live with enough space for a home office, Bolton is the perfect location for your business.
Bolton is home to Logistics North - the UK’s largest live commercial development for logistics and manufacturing businesses. It comprises 4 million square feet of commercial property space, onsite facilities (e.g. a service station, pub and coffee shop) and a 550 acre country park.
If you’re planning to base your business in a retail unit, there are 6 large retail parks in Bolton (e.g. Middlebrook, and Bolton Gate), and a thriving town centre where your retail business could thrive. If you need an industrial unit in Bolton for your startup or small business, there are several industrial estates and business parks dotted around the town (e.g. Blackrod Interchange, Meridian Business Park and Millfield Estates).
The cost of commercial premises is significantly lower in Bolton than in nearby cities. In Bolton, the average price for commercial premises is £10 per square foot, whilst in Manchester it’s £18 and in Leeds it’s £17. Of course, much depends on the size and nature of the business premises you’re looking for, but these figures give you a flavour of how economical it can be to base your business in Bolton.
If your startup or small business can be run from home, Bolton is a great place to live and work.
Housing is relatively cheap, so if you’re planning to run your office from home you could find a house with enough office space in Bolton for less than it would cost in neighbouring cities.
The average house price last year was about £209,000 in Bolton. In Leeds for the same period, the average house price was about £260,000, whilst in Manchester the average house price was over £300,000.
2. Does your business need to be close to public transport and/or motorway infrastructure?
One of the main benefits of basing your business in Bolton is that it’s so easy to get pretty much anywhere from here.
- Leeds is an hour’s drive or 1.5 hours by train.
- Central Manchester is half an hour’s drive or 20 minutes by train.
- Liverpool is just over an hour by car or train.
- Central London is less than 2.5 hours by train.
The town of Bolton is easily accessed via the M62/M60 from the east and west, M66 and M61 from the north and the M6 from the south. The Metrolink hasn’t quite reached Bolton yet but plans are still afoot for it to do so in the future. Meanwhile, all buses on the Bee Network cost just £2 per single journey to anywhere within Greater Manchester, or £5 for an all-day ticket.
This means you can easily travel to wherever you’re needed, your customers can find you, and your suppliers can deliver their products and services to you without costly delays.
The excellent transport and road links also make it easy for potential employees to reach you. This will improve your chances of finding good candidates for the jobs you may have to offer.
3. Is there support for small businesses and startups in your chosen area?
One of the main benefits of basing your startup or small business in Bolton is the wealth of
business support available from Bolton Council, which works in collaboration with the
Bolton Economic Alliance.
As Bolton is located within Greater Manchester, your business can also seek support from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. If your business is in the creative, digital / technology, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, financial / professional services or low carbon (net zero) industries, you could also seek support from Midas, Manchester’s Inward Investment Promotion Agency.
More practical advice is also available from
Build a Business. They offer workshops and 1:1 advice on how to set up and build your business in Bolton or anywhere within the Greater Manchester area. Perfect for new business owners or entrepreneurs to get you off the ground!
Can self storage help your business in Bolton?
If you can work from an office or from home but need space to store your stock, you could use one of our self storage units based at one of our Bolton stores. Our Bolton North store is located to the north of the town centre, near the Bolton Gate Retail Park, and our Bolton store is across the road from the Meridian Business Park.
Using a
self storage unit for your business stock is useful because you can increase or decrease the size of your unit to allow for fluctuating stock levels. As your business grows, you can move into a larger unit. If you plan to sell goods online, you could store your stock, parcel them up and post them directly from your unit and the store (all Safestore stores have
DHL ServicePoints including both Bolton stores).
If you’d like to know more about the prices or
our storage facilities in Bolton, please get in touch and one of our friendly team members will be happy to help.