Retailers in central London will be hardest hit by the business rates revaluation, but there will be contrasting fortunes across the UK.

Rv movement

RV movement

High-street operators across the country will either be rejoicing or recoiling at their new draft rateable values, depending on their store locations.

Key cities such as Cardiff and Birmingham will see a positive impact from the draft list, with rateable values on business units dropping by an average of 17% and 4% respectively, according to research from CBRE.  

Retailers in Southampton will benefit the most, with rateable values falling by an average of 20%, while Bristol will see a 9% decline.

However, retailers’ rates are set to rise in hot-spots including Manchester, Reading, Leeds and Liverpool after rateable values spiked as much as 15%.