Kensington borough launches retail website

A new website designed to help London shoppers has gone live. Developed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the site also aims to support retailers and encourage vibrancy on the high street. On the Map, www.rbkc.gov.uk/visit,

is the first online resource of its kind in London and covers some of the capital’s most high-profile shopping destinations, including Knightsbridge, Notting Hill, The King’s Road and Portobello.

The new initiative provides an interactive series of maps to The Royal Borough’s key shopping areas, highlighting the type of shopping experience each centre offers and linking to other useful services including individual retailers’ websites, where to eat, cultural highlights, local history, travel information and weather forecasts. The service can be accessed via smartphone, PC, or handheld computers.

The new maps have been created following research which showed that the number one reason for visiting the area was ‘to shop’: 13.1 million people visit the Borough each year, of which 1.7 million are from overseas. £1.3 billion is spent by visitors shopping in the Borough each year.

The official launch of the initiative was attended by retail leaders, local and independent shop owners and other stakeholders, including Liam Butler, head of ecommerce at the Conran Shop, Emily Dyson Paley, founder of Couverture and the Garb Store, and Michael Ward, managing director of Harrods, who also gave a keynote speech.

Councillor Sir Merrick Cockell, Leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, said: “Research tells us that the number one reason visitors come to our borough is to shop. On the Map is the first initiative of its kind in London, developed by the Council to provide a comprehensive resource for shoppers and to support the diverse mix of retailers and high streets that make the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea the number one shopping destination in the capital.”

Image: Shopping in Chelsea