Kingston Upon Thames is one of only six Royal Boroughs in England and Wales. It is a leading commercial and retailing destination in Greater London. The town is located approximately 5 miles (8km) south of Richmond, 11 miles (18km) west of Croydon and 12 miles (20km) south west of Central London.

The town benefits from excellent communications, with it being in close proximity to the M25, M3 and A3. The town benefits from a regular commuter rail service to London Waterloo, with a fastest journey time of approximately 20 minutes.

London Heathrow Airport is located approximately 22 miles (35km) west of the town and London Gatwick Airport is located 30 miles (48km) to the south east, enabling easy access to a diverse range of domestic and international flights.

The total population within Kingston’s Consumer Base is circa 616,000, which ranks the town 24th out of the PROMIS Centres with an estimated Primary Retail Market Area of 361,000. The high ranking reflects the dominance of Kingston across its densely populated catchment area.

Kingston has a moderately affluent population with a significantly above average proportion of adults within the most affluent AB social group and in contrast is under-represented in the least affluent social groups D and E. This results in an above average total in-store expenditure of £2,073m compared to the average £1,305m (PROMIS) for comparable towns. 

The local student population from the further and higher education establishments of Kingston College and Kingston University London, coupled with over 18 million visitors per year add to Kingston’s vibrancy and importance as a retail centre.

Kingston is the third largest shopping destination in Greater London after the West End and Croydon. Town centre retail floor space is estimated at 1.40 million sq ft ranking the town 43rd of the PROMIS centres on this measure.

Prime pitch is considered to be along the pedestrianised section of Clarence Street and the ground floor mall of the Bentall Centre. The Bentall Centre comprises 600,000 sq ft over four floors of retail space anchored by Bentalls (Fenwicks) department store with other national retailers including H&M, New Look, Hollister, Zara, & Other Stories, Massimo Dutti, Tommy Hilfiger, WH Smith and Timberland.