Retail should be the main primary purpose of the property (physical majority use of the premises).
Premises with a rateable value over £50,000 will not qualify for the scheme.
It does not matter how many retail properties a ratepayer occupies which have a rateable value of £50,000 or below. They will be eligible for the discount on all properties (subject to State Aid limits of €200,000 - this would only apply to companies who have a very large number of retail units).
The following list is what The Government considers as retail. It is not exhaustive and should act as a guide only. There will be other retail premises that will qualify for the scheme which are not included:
Businesses that are being used for the sale of goods to visiting members of the public.
- • Shops (such as: florists, bakers, butchers, grocers, greengrocers, jewellers, stationers, off licences, chemists, newsagents, hardware stores, Supermarkets, etc.)
- • Charity Shops
- • Opticians
- • Post Offices
- • Furnishing shops / display rooms (such as carpet shops, double glazing, garage doors)
- • Car / Caravan show rooms
- • Second hand car lots
- • Markets
- • Petrol Stations
- • Garden Centres
- • Art Galleries (where art is for sale / hire)
Businesses that are being used for the provision of the following services to visiting members of the public.
- • Hair and beauty services (such as hair dressers, nail bars, beauty salons, tanning shops, etc.)
- • Shoe repairs / key cutting
- • Travel agents
- • Ticket offices (e.g. for theatres)
- • Dry cleaners
- • Launderettes
- • PC / TV / Domestic appliance repair
- • Funeral directors
- • Photo processing
- • DVD / Video rentals
- • Tool hire
- • Car hire
Businesses that are being used for the sale of food and / or drink to visiting members of the public.
- • Restaurants
- • Takeaways
- • Sandwich shops
- • Coffee shops
- • Pubs
- • Bars
The following list is what The Government considers as not retail and therefore not eligible:
Businesses that are being used for the provision of the following services to visiting members of the public.
- • Financial Services (e.g. banks, building societies, cash points, bureau de change, payday lenders, betting shops, pawn brokers)
- • Other services (e.g. estate agents, letting agents, employment agencies)
- • Medical services (e.g. vets, dentists, doctors, osteopaths, chiropractors)
- • Professional services (e.g. solicitors), accountants, insurance agents)
- • Post Office sorting office
Businesses that are not reasonably accessible to visiting members of the public.
Again, this list is not exhaustive and should act as a guide only. There will be other premises that will not qualify for the scheme which are not included but it is not possible to include them all.