Geelong is growing faster than Victoria as a whole, and it's an hour from Melbourne. That makes it a fair place to ask whether you should start something of your own. This guide covers where Geelong is growing, what its economy runs on, where businesses cluster, what help is on offer, the practical steps, and one option for home-related businesses: a flooring showroom.
The short version. Greater Geelong has 295,052 residents and grew 2.2% in 2024–25, against 1.8% for Victoria. New housing is going into Armstrong Creek, Lara, Ocean Grove and Leopold, with larger areas still being planned in the north and west. Health care is the biggest employer. The council's free Business Concierge can tell you which permits you need, and recommends you call before you sign a lease.
This is general information, not legal or financial advice.
Is Geelong a good place to start a business?
It has a lot going for it. The ABS's preliminary estimate puts Greater Geelong at 295,052 residents on 30 June 2025, up 6,376 in 2024–25: growth of 2.2% against 1.8% for Victoria. The City of Greater Geelong forecasts 441,984 by 2046, and its economic plan puts Geelong an hour from Melbourne by road and rail. The City counts 23,560 businesses and 147,230 local jobs (June 2025).
The same plan is frank about the downsides: housing that's hard to find or afford, traffic and congestion, workforce skills shortages and a severe shortage of serviced industrial land. Growth brings customers, but also competition for premises and staff.
Where is Geelong growing?
On two fronts, at very different stages.
South: Armstrong Creek. The City calls it the largest contiguous growth area in Victoria: 2,500 hectares of developable land, planned for about 22,000 homes and 55,000 to 65,000 people. Geelong's population forecasts put much of the new housing in Armstrong Creek, Lara, Ocean Grove and Leopold.
North and west: still being planned. The Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) calls the Northern and Western Geelong Growth Areas the largest greenfield planning project in regional Victoria: about 5,300 hectares, around 40,000 homes and roughly 112,000 people, in seven precinct structure plans. It says it is still scoping the program and can't yet give firm timing, so treat these as plans, not building sites.
In 2025–26, 3,212 new homes were approved across Greater Geelong, 2,657 of them houses. Approvals aren't finished homes. Victoria's housing target for the city is 128,600 new homes by 2051. Our guide to new housing estates in regional Victoria says which of Geelong's growth areas are building now and which are still being planned, and where regional Victoria is growing compares Geelong with ten other areas.
What are the business opportunities in Geelong?
The City's plan describes an economy that has reinvented itself. The Point Henry aluminium smelter closed in 2014 and car manufacturing in Geelong ended in 2016. Meanwhile the head offices of the TAC, the NDIA and WorkSafe moved in, Deakin University set up a research precinct, and defence manufacturing is being established at Avalon.
Health care is now the biggest employer, with 30,245 local jobs, followed by retail, education, construction and manufacturing. Manufacturing is still the largest export sector, but four industries employ more people.
The plan names nine priority sectors, from advanced manufacturing, defence and the clean economy to health care, professional business services, logistics and the visitor economy. Construction, one of the five biggest employers, follows housing.
Where do Geelong's businesses cluster?
The City's retail strategy, adopted in August 2020, and its 2025 industrial land submission show the pattern. Check with the council that it still holds.
| Area | What the City's plans say |
|---|---|
| Central Geelong | Top of the retail hierarchy, and the focus for investment, retail, commerce, education and culture |
| Belmont, Waurn Ponds, Corio, Leopold, Armstrong Creek | Sub-regional centres, with Pakington Street in Geelong West a specialised centre |
| Restricted retail | Large-format shops, including floor and window coverings. Named centres include Colac Road (Waurn Ponds), the Princes Highway (Corio), Melbourne Road (Norlane and North Geelong), Murradoc Road (Drysdale) and Sinclair Street (Ocean Grove) |
| Employment precincts | The Geelong Ring Road precinct, about 500 hectares, with more planned at Avalon, Lara and Armstrong Creek |
Premises can be tight. In a 2025 submission to the State Government, the City said industrial land prices have been growing rapidly, vacancy is low and supply is constrained, and that escalating prices can make it hard for small businesses to find a site.
What business support does Geelong offer?
The City's free Business Concierge helps people starting, expanding or relocating work out which council permits and registrations they need, for shopfront, mobile and home-based businesses alike. The City recommends contacting the team before you sign any investment or lease agreement. It received 445 enquiries in 2025, up 2.7% on the year before. Most were new business proposals, and food and drink was the most common.
The City also runs free drop-in sessions across Greater Geelong, with 25-minute one-on-one appointments, and the Geelong Small Business Festival with the local chamber of commerce. The 2026 festival program, in early August, listed more than 50 free and low-cost workshops and masterclasses. The City's permits page lists the usual approvals:
- Planning permit. The Planning Scheme controls land use, development and car parking.
- Building permit. A registered building surveyor issues it for construction and alterations.
- Food and drink registration with the City's Environmental Health Unit.
- Footpath trading permits for A-frames, alfresco dining and other commercial activity on the footpath.
What state support can you use?
Business Victoria offers free one-on-one online advice sessions and points you to ABLIS, a free licence finder. Regional Development Victoria is the state's regional economic development agency, and Geelong falls in its Barwon South West region. Its programs change, so check what's open before you plan around one. The Victorian Small Business Commission gives free early help with business disputes, including with landlords, and runs mediation for a fee.
How do you start a business in Geelong?
- Ask the Business Concierge first. It's free, and it comes before any lease.
- Register. An ABN is free through the Australian Business Register. A business name and GST registration may follow.
- Check the site. Ask what the zone allows, and whether you need a planning permit or a building permit.
- Read the lease with a lawyer before you sign.
- Sort insurance and workers compensation before you open. A footpath trading application needs a public liability certificate.
Our guide to how to open a flooring store in Victoria covers business names, GST, leases and insurance in more detail.
Why does housing growth matter for flooring and other home businesses?
Every new home needs floors, and so do the renovations, sales and rentals that follow. With 3,212 homes approved in 2025–26, that's a long runway for flooring and the other home trades, from kitchens to landscaping. Building speeds up and slows down, so treat growth as a direction, not a promise.
Is a flooring showroom one way to start in Geelong?
It's one option, and not for everyone. At National Floors, the Geelong territory is open. A 60-minute drive from central Geelong takes in Lara, Leopold, the Bellarine Peninsula and Torquay, but that's indicative: each franchise has a non-exclusive Local Marketing Area, and your franchise agreement sets the exact boundary. Head Office leads the site search and manages the fit-out to a tested design. Our guide to what a flooring showroom fit-out involves covers the displays, lighting, signs and permits.
The estimated total investment is $318,200 to $606,750 + GST, depending on your site and fit-out. Ongoing fees are a 6% royalty and a 1% national marketing levy on gross sales, plus local marketing of at least $2,500 a month and a technology fee of $450 a month. Our guide to what franchise fees pay for explains them.
The commitment is real: the showroom trades 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, and owners should expect to be on the floor six days a week, especially in the first year. Flooring experience isn't required.
You'd receive the Disclosure Document, the franchise agreement, a copy of the Code, leasing information and related agreements at least 14 days before you sign, and a 14-day cooling-off period applies after you do. Our franchise terms glossary explains these terms. Get independent legal, financial and accounting advice first. See the Geelong territory page, what a franchise discovery call involves, or check whether your area is open. If you'd rather start something else, the rest of this guide still applies.
Questions
Is Geelong a good place to start a business?
It's growing faster than Victoria as a whole (2.2% against 1.8% in 2024–25), health care is its biggest employer and its council runs a free Business Concierge. The City also flags housing costs, congestion and a shortage of industrial land, so plan premises early.
Does the City of Greater Geelong help new businesses?
Yes. The free Business Concierge helps you work out which permits and registrations you need, and the City recommends calling before you sign any investment or lease agreement.
Do I need a permit to start a business in Geelong?
It depends on what you do and where. The usual approvals are a planning permit, a building permit, food and drink registration and footpath trading permits. The Business Concierge can tell you which apply.
Can I open a flooring showroom in Geelong?
The Geelong territory is open to a new National Floors franchise owner. Check whether your area is open.
Sources
- ABS: Regional population, 2024–25
- ABS: Building Approvals, Australia, August 2026
- Victorian Government: Plan for Victoria housing targets
- City of Greater Geelong: Community profile and Work and investment
- economy.id: City of Greater Geelong, employment by industry, 2024/25
- forecast.id: City of Greater Geelong, drivers of population change
- City of Greater Geelong: Economic Development Plan 2024–2034
- City of Greater Geelong: Armstrong Creek growth area
- VPA: Northern and Western Geelong Growth Areas
- City of Greater Geelong: Retail Strategy 2020–36
- City of Greater Geelong: Planning for industrial land supply, May 2025
- City of Greater Geelong: Start your business and Small Business Festival program, July 2026
- City of Greater Geelong: Business Concierge, April 2026
- City of Greater Geelong: Permits and regulatory legal requirements
- City of Greater Geelong: Footpath trading application
- business.gov.au: Register for an ABN
- Business Victoria: Virtual mentor sessions and ABLIS
- Regional Development Victoria: Barwon South West
- Victorian Small Business Commission: Resolving a commercial dispute
- National Floors: the franchise opportunity and Geelong territory