The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames is the oldest of the four Royal Boroughs in England.
The borough is located in in the South West of London on the south bank of the Thames and is part of Greater London.
The administrative centre of the borough is the town of Kingston Upon Thames. Other towns in the borough also include Surbiton, Chessington, Malden Rushett, New Malden and
This is a borough with a lot of history and it is home to the Coronation Stone. The North West of the borough runs alongside the Thames with the north border backing onto Richmond Park. Both these features are an attractive draw to residents.
The Trends
This borough has become popular as a shopping destination outside of the centre of London. There is a range of retailers in a variety of shopping malls and high streets.
Although people do venture to the borough for the extensive retail options that are available, the businesses in the borough appeal to local residents.
Kingston Upon Thames is made up, predominantly, of family homes as it offers more space and property prices are on average lower than neighbouring boroughs.
Businesses should, therefore, consider the residential makeup of the borough. Appealing to local families and, perhaps, students will help you to accurately appeal to the market in Kingston Upon Thames.
The Kingston Business Excellence Awards
take place every year
to
celebr
ate the achievements of businesses in the borough.
These awards highlight the successes of local businesses and encourage
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Sector Spotlight: Retail
Outside of central London and Westfield, the shopping complexes in Kingston Upon Thames are destination retail spaces for shoppers. Both Bentall Centre and Eden Walk draw in customers throughout the year.
Bentall Centre was developed around the Bentalls department store. The department store opened in 1935 and still has a large presence in the new centre.
In the same area of Kingston is Eden Walk shopping complex. Development of the shopping centre was given the go-ahead in 2016 to the amount of £400million.
It is hoped that, once the development is complete, shoppers will be drawn to the centre above Westfield in Hammersmith, increasing the number of people in Kingston and rejuvenating the city centre.
The area has become noteworthy for its availability of retail options and this extends beyond these shopping complexes and onto the high street. Besides the large chains, there are also plenty of independent retailers that thrive in this borough as the surrounding resident’s value what’s on offer locally.
Is this Area for You?
If you are considering opening a business in this borough, the obvious option would be retail. The borough is seeing increased residential development, and, alongside this, there will be room for more businesses to open. Providing services to local residents is an ideal option for entrepreneurs in the borough.
While there are shopping complexes that are particularly noteworthy, the high streets in this borough also have a high footfall.
Alongside the development of the Eden shopping complex, new office spaces will be built. It will also create the need for more restaurants and other services. This is very encouraging for anyone looking to invest in this area.