Guildford, the vibrant county town, and primary administrative and commercial centre of Surrey, is regarded as one of the premier retailing locations within the UK. Located adjacent to the picturesque Surrey Hills, the affluent and popular town is located 27 miles (43km) south-west of Central London.

Guildford is regarded as a strong regional retailing town. It is ranked as one of the most affluent of the PROMIS centres on the PMA affluence indicator and within the Guildford area there are a significantly above average proportion of adults of working age categorised within the most affluent AB social group and in contrast an under representation of, the least affluent D and E social groups. Reflecting the demographic profile and spending habits of the Primary Retail Market Area, per capita total retail spending levels in Guildford are significantly above the PROMIS average (Source: CACI).

In addition, retail and leisure expenditure within the town is boosted by Guildford’s growing student population. The University of Surrey, a 10 minute walk from the town centre had circa 14,750 students alone in 2023.

The historic town attracts many domestic and international visitors with tourism also swelling customer numbers. The Guildford Tourist Industry state, just pre-covid, that 5.2 million trips were undertaken to the town, with the annual estimated spend as being £307.5m, supporting 5,600 jobs throughout the borough.