Consumers put a high priority on vacancy in the town centre, more than 40% of visitors in our visitor research in 2023 said they would visit more often if there were less empty shops. There is a perception that Kingston Town Centre has a high proportion of vacant units, but we have found the picture is both more positive, and nuanced.
Kingston First has been collecting data on vacancy rates in Kingston for the past 4 years. Kingston in fact has a low vacancy rate, with only 8% of units vacant in June 2025 (41 units out of 526 total ground floor units), in contrast with an average vacancy rate of 14% in the UK and 11% in London.
Amongst the 41 ground floor units that are vacant, 12 of them are awaiting development or are let and being fit out by new tenants, and 9 are under offer, leaving only 20 that are vacant and available. The story behind these 20 units is complex. Some of these units are long term vacant, sometimes due to limitations with the unit (e.g. size, position, listed building), high rent aspirations or landlords that are not motivated to fill them due to having a large portfolio.
Kingston First has tried to match community groups and meanwhile use organisations with landlords, with minimal success, mainly due to landlords wanting to hold out for market value rent, the high cost of business rates and complications with insurances. Despite these challenges, we have facilitated the use of a vacant unit on Fife Road by KT1 Studio, a creative studio run by graduates from Kingston University, and we haven’t given up on more projects of this kind, continuing to work hard to help landlords understand the value of a diverse town centre offer.
However, 20 vacant and available units is only 4% of total group floor units,
which is a very low proportion. This makes sense as Kingston town centre is a highly desirable location for National Brands, who see a presence in Kingston as an important part of their portfolios. We have seen recent openings by Wittards, Nespresso, HMV and Trailfinders to name a few. Kingston’s success and location seems to be a factor. Kingston was rated as the top borough in Greater London in LSH’s 2023 London Vitality Index.
It’s really the look and feel of vacant units that is the problem in Kingston, causing this problem with perception, which is at odds with the real picture. Some brands decorate their future units, to let people know that it isn’t in fact vacant, but just getting ready for a new occupier, but these are in the minority. There is no obligation on companies to improve the look and feel of units while they are vacant, which is something we would love to see change. We at Kingston First have had some success dressing vacant units, with artworks created by university students (some examples are shown), but this is often difficult to do, as Landlords and Agents don’t want the front of vacant units covered up as it stops potential tenants from seeing inside.
We are currently working to set up a working group, comprising a group of experts and interested parties who will come together to discuss, study and report on the issue of vacant units within Kingston Town Centre and make recommendations to help encourage a more diverse range of organisations in the town centre, including more start-ups and meanwhile use, resulting in a reduction in length of vacancy and improved visitor perception around the number of vacant units in Kingston.
If this is something you are interested in helping us with, or have any thoughts, please do get in touch.
Engagement and Insight Manager
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