Revealed: The Best London Borough for Independent Shops
Study explores the independent shopping hotspots in London
- Data finds Camden is the top independent shopping borough with 273 shops
- Food and drink businesses make up the majority of independents in London
- Greenwich boasts the most creative businesses
Camden, Westminster, and Hackney are the independent hotspots of London according to new research.
London is full of giant chains and well-known retailers, but the city is also bursting with independent shops, boutiques, and markets.
To shine a light on London’s independent offering, Barratt London has revealed London’s independent shopping hotspots, further delving into which shop types are the most popular.
Which boroughs have the most independent shops?
| Top 10 Boroughs with highest amount of independent shops | ||
| Rank | Borough | Number of Independent Shops |
| 1 | Camden | 273 |
| 2 | Westminster | 261 |
| 3 | Hackney | 227 |
| 4 | Greenwich | 224 |
| 5 | Lambeth | 217 |
| 6 | Southwark | 186 |
| 7 | Tower Hamlets | 134 |
| 8 | Waltham | 48 |
| 9 | Wandsworth | 39 |
| 10 | Kensington and Chelsea | 38 |
Top 10 Boroughs with highest amount of independent shops
Camden is officially the top independent borough, boasting 273 shops and local businesses. This will come as no surprise as Camden is famous for its bustling market scene, where most independent retailers are based. Clothing shop Manomay, gift shop Oddballs and jewellery store Roger Stone are all based in Camden Market, where 250,000 people visit each week.
Westminster is in second place where 261 independent shops and businesses and Hackney follows in third with 227 local shops and businesses with many located along Broadway Market.
Food and drink independent businesses thriving in London
| Top 10 types of independent shops | |||
| Rank | Type of shop | Number of shops | Number of people per shop type |
| 1 | Food & Drink | 695 | 12,662 |
| 2 | Creative | 228 | 38,596 |
| 3 | Clothing | 185 | 47,566 |
| 4 | Cycles | 173 | 50,866 |
| 5 | Gift | 155 | 56,773 |
| 6 | Book | 135 | 65,184 |
| 7 | Jewellery | 92 | 95,650 |
| 8 | Antiques | 89 | 98,874 |
| 9 | Music | 45 | 195,551 |
| 10 | Home | 41 | 214,629 |
When it comes to what type of businesses make up the independents within London, Food and drink takes the top spot. With London’s population of 8.7 million, it’s hardly surprising that the food and drink sector takes the top spot with 695 shops.
The top boroughs for food and drink are Southwark (149 shops), Lambeth (119 shops) and Hackney (112 shops).
The creative sector is in second place with 228 shops across all boroughs. The boroughs which have the highest count of creative stores are Greenwich (76 shops), Westminster (67 shops) and Lambeth (21 shops). Greenwich Market is home to Agnes Creations, Drawing Memories and Glasscraft.
Clothing follows in third with 185 independent shops, with Camden (47 shops), Tower Hamlets (32 shops) and Hackney (25 shops) having the highest count.
Rose Pullan, senior marketing and communications manager at Barratt London, said: “Since the pandemic, independent shops and local businesses have been hit the hardest.
With Barratt London having a presence in many of these communities, we wanted to shine a light on London’s independent offering for locals to explore.
Shopping local allows you to pick up handmade items you wouldn’t find in giant chains and is the perfect way to find one of a kind Christmas gifts.”
You can find more information about the study at https://www.barratthomes.co.uk/new-homes/london/independent-shopping-boroughs
