The last 12 months in Kingston Town Centre have yet again been a time of change, with nearly 40 openings in the town centre, many by national brands, who see a presence in Kingston as an important part of their portfolios, including Crew Clothing, Cotswold Co., Feather and Black and Dunelm, to name a few.
Kingston First has been monitoring and collecting data on vacancy in Kingston for over 10 years, reporting vacancy data for the past 5 years. The vacancy rate for the town centre has been 7.4% on average over the past year, consistently below the national average, but of the 38 units that appear to be vacant currently, only 25 are vacant and available, the rest being let but not yet occupied, or part of a development.
One of our key priorities is bringing empty units back to life with unique, short-term uses. This could include pop-up shops, art exhibitions or creative community activities.
Activating vacant spaces helps improve the look and feel of the town centre, while giving people the chance to test new ideas without the cost and commitment of a traditional lease.
It was great to see the wonderful space at the Old Post Office in the Royal Exchange supporting a local student exhibition.
Making use of vacant spaces, even if temporary, brings something new and different to the town, attracting new audiences.
We’re able to facilitate these sorts of partnerships through the contacts we have across the town, so if it’s something you’re keen to do, please get in touch.
Engagement and Insight Manager
Comments are closed.