5 reasons why your business should be based in West London

1. A vibrant, entrepreneurial community

West London has long been considered a valuable base for creative and innovative entrepreneurs. The region was home to the UK’s first ever shared workspace at Barley Mow in 1976, encouraging a plethora of individuals from designers and architects to jewellers and craftspeople. That eclectic mix of creative types remains as strong in West London today as ever, with 41 new start-ups said to be operational per sq km across the region. Almost a quarter (23%) of all enterprises in West London are less than two years old, so there is no better place in the capital to find a community of like-minded entrepreneurs to be inspired by.

2. Home to world-renowned creative and tech brands

West London is a genuine economic powerhouse in its own right and although it is underpinned by tens of thousands of New and Growing Companies, it is also home to multinational household brands, helping to drive innovation on a global scale. Many of the world’s leading tech software brands are located here, namely Cisco, Rackspace and Apple and these prestigious companies have helped West London evolve quickly as a major fibre connectivity route for the rest of the UK.

Similarly, West London is home to an ever-growing ‘TV Triangle’, acting as the focal point for the cluster of creative media companies across Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith and the Heathrow area. SKY, BBC, Virgin, Perform Group and IMG Digital are just some of the innovative media companies based in West London, with an ever-growing presence of digital media, pre and post production and playout specialists cropping up.

3. Exceptional culture

There’s no doubt that much of London’s cultural spotlights feature in a ‘W’ postcode. West London is incredibly stimulating for the senses and features an irresistible mix of history, the arts and live entertainment. Obviously, the world-famous West End is on the right side of town for West London businesses, as are some of the capital’s most incredible cultural destinations. Exhibition Road in South Kensington is teeming with world-class museums such as the Natural History and the V&Q Museums. Meanwhile, West London’s dining scene is tailor-made for entertaining prospects and clients, with Shepherd’s Bush, Notting Hill and West Kensington home to a diverse range of cuisines including hidden independent gems and well-known high street restaurant brands.

4. Fantastic national and global transport connections

Few areas of London can compete with West London in terms of transport connectivity. For instance, our customers at Chiswick’s Barley Mow Centre can head into Central London via Turnham Green tube station in less than half-an-hour. They also benefit from direct road access to the M4 motorway and the rest of the south-east’s motorway network – ideal for nurturing business relationships beyond the London’s city walls. West London also offers excellent national rail links to the south-west (home to Swan Court), Wales, the Midlands and the north-west. Local stations such as Brentford (home to The Mille), Ealing Broadway and Acton are all well-served by Paddington’s mainline routes. That’s not to mention the world’s most influential airport hub, London Heathrow, which is a stone’s throw away and ideal for forging continental and global industry links.

5. Tap into a highly-skilled workforce

According to West London Business, almost half (45%) of West London’s available workforce is educated to Level 3 or higher – significantly higher than the national average. Encouragingly, more 16-year-olds are in full-time education in West London than the London and national average too, which bodes well for New and Growing Companies looking to recruit the next generation of professionals. West London is also an area that’s close to multiple universities, namely the University of West London (Ealing & Brentford), Brunel University (Uxbridge) and Kingston University (Kingston); all of which are regarded as top modern universities and ideal for growing companies to tap into a pool of talented under and post graduates.

Put simply, it’s a no-brainer to set up in business within one of the world’s most dynamic regional economies. With fantastic green environments in which to live and work, a culturally and ethnically diverse population, rapidly advancing connectivity both in terms of transport and digitally, it’s an area that’s working hard to maintain its global economic competitiveness.

Aside from the Barley Mow Centre that we’ve already featured, at Workspace we’re fortunate to own a string of state-of-the-art business centres for our West London customers. The industrial-chic Westbourne Studios is built beneath the A40 Westway, while both Ladbroke Grove and Chiswick are home to vibrant and creative business communities such as the newly developed Grand Union Studios, Canalot Studios and The Light Box.

If you’d like to arrange a viewing of any of our available offices and studios to rent in West London, please don’t hesitate to email enquiries@workspace.co.uk or call our team today.