Best zones to open a shop in Edinburgh
We scored 16 neighbourhood-sized cells of Edinburgh for a shop. Edinburgh New Town leads with 81/100 against a city average of 54/100. Every score is built from open data plus live Google Maps evidence — nothing is estimated by hand.
- City average
- 54/100
- #1 · Edinburgh New Town
- 81/100
- Data confidence
- 60%
- Updated
- 13 October 2026
Opportunity map
Best zones to open a Retail in Edinburgh
Compare neighbourhood scores, evidence and confidence before choosing a specific address.
City score 54/100· 16 zones· Updated Oct 13, 2026
- 181Edinburgh New Town17 competitors · 4.1★
- 278Near India Place12 competitors · 4.0★
- 373Edinburgh Old Town (South-West)13 competitors · 3.9★
- 462Edinburgh Old Town (North-East)15 competitors · 3.9★
- 553Near King's Stables Road9 competitors · 3.4★
- 651Near East London Street7 competitors · 4.3★
- 751Near Grove Street11 competitors · 3.9★
- 849Near Bangholm Terrace8 competitors · 4.0★
- 949Near Brandon Terrace4 competitors · 3.4★
- 1049Near Melville Drive9 competitors · 4.5★
- 1149Near Belford Road7 competitors · 4.1★
- 1248Near Arboretum Place5 competitors · 3.6★
- 1348Near Queen's Drive10 competitors · 4.1★
- 1448Near Saint Mark's Path4 competitors · 3.6★
- 1547Near North Meadow Walk6 competitors · 4.1★
- 1633Near Learmonth Avenue2 competitors · 5.0★
Full ranking
16 zones scored
| # | Zone | Score | Confidence | Competitors | Residents (10-min walk) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edinburgh New Town | 81 | 60% | 17 · 4.1★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 2 | Near India Place | 78 | 60% | 12 · 4.0★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 3 | Edinburgh Old Town (South-West) | 73 | 60% | 13 · 3.9★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 4 | Edinburgh Old Town (North-East) | 62 | 60% | 15 · 3.9★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 5 | Near King's Stables Road | 53 | 60% | 9 · 3.4★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 6 | Near East London Street | 51 | 60% | 7 · 4.3★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 7 | Near Grove Street | 51 | 60% | 11 · 3.9★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 8 | Near Bangholm Terrace | 49 | 60% | 8 · 4.0★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 9 | Near Brandon Terrace | 49 | 60% | 4 · 3.4★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 10 | Near Melville Drive | 49 | 60% | 9 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 11 | Near Belford Road | 49 | 60% | 7 · 4.1★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 12 | Near Arboretum Place | 48 | 60% | 5 · 3.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 13 | Near Queen's Drive | 48 | 60% | 10 · 4.1★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 14 | Near Saint Mark's Path | 48 | 60% | 4 · 3.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 15 | Near North Meadow Walk | 47 | 60% | 6 · 4.1★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 16 | Near Learmonth Avenue | 33 | 60% | 2 · 5.0★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
Top 3 zones in detail
Edinburgh New Town
- Demand100
- Room52
- Beatable65
- Vitality89
- Access—
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+77), Street vitality (+26)
Watch out: Room in the market (−23)
Main competitors
- Primark · 4.3★ (12,915)
- Marks & Spencer · 4.2★ (4,308)
- John Lewis & Partners · 4.1★ (2,748)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
Near India Place
- Demand90
- Room72
- Beatable72
- Vitality73
- Access—
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+67)
Main competitors
- Primark · 4.3★ (12,915)
- Marks & Spencer · 4.2★ (4,308)
- Urban Outfitters · 4.0★ (643)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
Edinburgh Old Town (South-West)
- Demand68
- Room72
- Beatable73
- Vitality77
- Access—
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+45), Street vitality (+14)
Main competitors
- Primark · 4.3★ (12,915)
- Forever Vintage · 4.9★ (683)
- The Scotland Shop · 4.2★ (176)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
How the score works
Six components, weighted for this sector. Missing data is left out and the weights are redistributed — a component is never guessed.
- Demand22%
Residents within a 10-minute walk (WorldPop × Valhalla) blended with proven spend — Google review volume vs. the best cell in the city.
- Room in the market16%
How many comparable businesses already operate within ~1 km. Fewer competitors scores higher.
- Beatable competition10%
Average Google rating of incumbents. Weaker incumbents leave more room for a strong newcomer.
- Street vitality24%
Commercial density, footfall anchors (schools, offices, stations, hotels) and business mix from OpenStreetMap.
- Accessibility16%
Transit stops, main and pedestrian streets, and how much ground a 10-minute walk actually covers.
- Affordability12%
Typical commercial rent where a benchmark exists. Cheaper scores higher; missing rent is left out, never guessed.
Data sources
- WorldPop
residential population per cell
- OpenStreetMap
points of interest, transit stops, streets, footfall anchors
- Valhalla
10-minute walking isochrones
- Google Maps
competitor names, ratings and review volumes (via SerpAPI)
Frequently asked questions
- Which is the best zone to open a shop in Edinburgh?
- Edinburgh New Town scores highest at 81/100, +27 points above the city average. Scores combine demand, room in the market, competitor quality, street vitality, accessibility and cost.
- Where does the data come from?
- Population from WorldPop, walking reach from Valhalla isochrones, points of interest, transit and streets from OpenStreetMap, and competitor names, ratings and review volumes from Google Maps. Each cell shows a confidence level based on how many of these sources were available.
- How fresh is this ranking?
- Zones were last recomputed on 13 October 2026. The interactive map refreshes the data automatically when the cache expires (30 days).