London is one of the UK’s most iconic cities, and this capital has a highly skilled population of 8.1 million. It has a thriving network of international businesses that are an excellent networking space, as well as a massive cultural presence.
Here are four reasons why you should set up your business in the capital, and what you could gain from it.
The Geographical Location
London is uniquely positioned with fantastic access to ports that lead to Europe, six major airports that will take you to hundreds of international locations, and an unprecedented public transport network (the London Underground carries over 5 million passengers every day).
The new Elizabeth Line, opened in 2022, is an excellent connection between business centres, as well as Heathrow Airport and London Paddington.
London’s historical and political significance also makes it a tourism hotspot. Royal tourism alone made £50 million in 2019-2020, and the Houses of Parliament are also visited by around 1 million tourists every year.
A Large Customer Base
London has a huge population, making it ideal for high street businesses who need a high footfall to thrive.
Additionally, London’s shopping districts like Camden Market, Covent Garden and Oxford Street naturally have a high attraction for tourism.
In fact, the Association of International Retail estimates that over 46% of tourist spending is typically attributed to shopping, which is even higher than accommodation at 30%, and 24% on travel, eating, culture and entertainment.
This means that London is a hotspot for retail businesses but is similarly a great place to set up a thriving restaurant or hotel too.
Flexible Office Spaces
For small businesses who are just starting up, this is an ideal initiative that was designed to help mitigate the high business rent in London postcodes.
Purpose-built facilities around London offer a co-working office space with a desk and laptop docking, with an equal opportunity to network with other small businesses.
An example is HubbleHQ, who offer a range of services including shared workspace, meeting rooms, event space, and even long-term rent of private offices and single desks. Also included in one of their day passes is the use of a kitchen, tea and coffee, bike storage, phone booths and printing access.
It’s the Home of High-Quality Digital Marketing
Nowadays, digital marketing is at the very centre of business, and it’s difficult to succeed without it.
However, London is fortunately a hub of digital marketing experts, like Maratopia, who work to help your business thrive in the online world with search engine optimisation, content writing and PPC services.
These services encourage more visitors to your website to expose your business to a higher customer base and help your website to rank higher on search engine results pages.
Do you have any tips for starting a business in London? Leave your answer in the comments below!