There are around 9,000 units for sale across England, with the North West having the highest proportion (16.6 per cent), followed by the South West (15.7 per cent) and the West Midlands (11 per cent).

Kimberley Gates, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Sirius Property Finance, said: "Despite the issues facing the business sector across much of England, there are still plenty of opportunities in the market at the moment.

Depending on the type of investment you want to make, where you need to look for investment opportunities will be affected, but the North West looks to be a great place to invest on every basis, from shopfronts to warehouses.

Why is the North West so popular right now? It's because cities such as Manchester, Liverpool and Salford have more affordable markets, attracting a large number of organisations and businesses away from their traditional London bases.

As a result, there is a growing sense that the capital no longer has the beating heart of UK media and industry all to itself, which is helping to drive the business market in other parts of the UK.

In terms of office space, the two largest cities, London (21.1 per cent) and the West Midlands and Birmingham (12.7 per cent) dominate.

In terms of retail space, the North West (17.4 per cent) is a distant second, with London (13.4 per cent) in second place.

For leisure and hospitality, the South West (22.4 per cent) has the most stock, but the North West (18.5 per cent) is not far behind.

In terms of industrial and warehousing space, the North West (15.4 per cent) is once again the nation's hotspot, with the East Midlands (14.2 per cent) following in second place.