Kingston upon Thames

Key Facts

Total floorspace: 1.2 million sq ft (113,790 sq m)

Missing retailers in central Kingston upon Thames: Miss Selfridge, The Perfume Shop, Schuh, USC, Beaverbrooks, Adams, Fopp,
Build-a-Bear Workshop, Lacoste, Molton Brown, Ted Baker

Top five under-sized retailers in central Kingston upon Thames: Boots (-22,932 sq ft), John Lewis (-18,877 sq ft), Next (-17,732 sq ft), Primark (-17,256 sq ft), H&M (-15,732 sq ft)

Top five centres that share the central Kingston upon Thames total catchment: London’s West End (8 per cent), Sutton (6 per cent), Hounslow (6 per cent), Epsom (4 per cent), Wimbledon (4 per cent)

Area of highest rental growth over the past five years: Clarence Street (4.1 per cent)

Average rental growth over the past five years: 4.7 per cent

New developments: a new scheme, called Eden, proposes to add 500,000 sq ft (46,450 sq m) of retail space to the town centre

Source: Experian/rental data from Churston Heard

Kingston upon Thames is an attractive town for retailers to operate in, given its dominance of the affluent southwest London and northeast Surrey catchment.

However, new developments that are being built around the region could challenge the town’s position. Both the Westfield London development at White City and the planned Park Place scheme in Croydon are likely to draw shoppers away. On a more local level, the Blenheim Centre will lift dreary Hounslow, while upmarket Richmond has had a facelift.

Kingston is fighting back, however, with a new scheme of its own to be developed by real estate company Hammerson. The development, an 861,120 sq ft (80,000 sq m) scheme called Eden Quarter, designed by BDP Architects, is situated between Eden Street and Clarence Street and fronts onto the town’s historic main square. Subject to planning approval, which is complicated because of listed buildings in the area, the development will be completed by 2012.

Eden Quarter will face stiff competition from Kingston’s main shopping location, The Bentall Centre. The 600,000 sq ft (55,740 sq m) scheme includes 85 shops, anchored by the Bentalls department store.

As well as high street stalwarts such as Boots, HMV, WHSmith and New Look, the mix of stores at The Bentall Centre includes more upmarket brands, such as US technology giant Apple, which reflect the wealth of the catchment. The shopping centre has just under a million visitors a month and boasts that its branch of Baby Gap has the highest turnover in the world per sq ft.

Morley Fund Management, owner of the 10-year-old Bentall Centre, has continued to develop the mix of retail outlets to keep it up to date. Most recently, the upper floor has been adapted to make space for two large units for European fashion giants H&M and Zara, which have reinvigorated the scheme.

Experian property agency director Jonathan De Mello believes the strong position of The Bentall Centre, combined with the competition from other new developments in the surrounding area, will mean that Eden Quarter will give the town less of a lift than might be expected.

“I think the new scheme planned by Hammerson will struggle,” he says. “The Bentall Centre is very strong and I don’t think that the new scheme will give Kingston a huge uplift.”

Demographics

Population 5 million

Total retail spend£23.71 billion

Weighted shopper population 313,946

Index of population with internet access 117

Cars per household 1.09

Annual gross household income£42,811

Most over-represented occupation Professional

Most over-represented age band 25-34

Source: Experian