The major obstacle that most businesses face if planning to relocate to the West End is that of cost, as the area has the second highest office rental prices in the world. The West End is also famous for its theatres, entertainment venues and government buildings. Leasing office space in London’s West End needn’t be a daunting prospect, although the area itself is a consistently popular location for shops and businesses in central London.
Developed between the 17th and 19th centuries, the West End lies largely in Westminster and contains expensively constructed town houses and other more palatial buildings, many of which have subsequently changed from residential to commercial use. The parts of the West End nearest to the ancient heart of the city, Covent Garden, Seven Dials and Holborn once housed a less affluent section of society. Seven Dials, in Victorian times was a notorious rookery, a literal den of iniquity. Covent Garden, famous for its market in flowers and vegetables in the daytime, was known for a different type of commerce after dark.
Covent Garden is nowadays synonymous with shopping and entertainment. Along with Leicester Square, it attracts a constant stream of visitors and tourists throughout the year and has enough restaurants and bars to accommodate them. The busiest shopping street in Europe lies in the West End. Oxford Street and the intersecting streets that lead from it, such as Regent Street and Bond Street, are world famous for their shops. Many companies have their flagship stores on Oxford Street, as well as their head offices. The term ‘West End’ is to a certain extent a loosely defined one, as the area has no fixed geographic boundaries and contains areas as diverse as Mayfair and Soho.
The West End is famous for its foreign embassies, Art galleries, museums and also the government buildings in the area, mostly near Whitehall. It is also famous for its theatres and nightclubs. The home of England’s theater land lies south of Oxford Street. Its theatres attract an audience of up to twelve million a year and some of the most famous actors in the world regularly appear on its stages.
Despite its huge popularity, it is possible to secure offices in London’s West End, if you have the budget for it. The easiest way of finding such premises is to use the service provided by one of London’s firms of specialist commercial surveyors and real estate agents. Begin your search online and obtain a range of quotes from reputable providers. Once you have established a fair figure, research the companies you are considering, to see how they are performing in terms of customer service and customer retention. After considering your options carefully, you will be in a position to secure office space.
