Places for London highlights some of the many businesses across its citywide estate as it celebrates Small Business Saturday

Places for London, Transport for London (TfL)’s property company, is joining small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the country in celebrating Small Business Saturday on 7 December 2024.

As a landlord to more than 1,500 businesses including hundreds of SMEs across London, Places for London prides itself on being a home where small businesses can thrive, and is encouraging Londoners discover the many small businesses providing great options for gifts, services and leisure over the festive season.

This year, several small businesses have joined the Places for London estate for the first time or expanded to new units, bringing vibrant new options to their communities. These businesses include Jamaica Patty, a new food retailer coming to Farringdon; Flowers on the Hill, a florist near Harrow on the Hill and Zie Coffee, a small business with three shops in Rayners Lane, Hillingdon and South Ruislip.

This year’s Small Biz 100, an annual celebration of 100 of the thousands of small businesses all over the UK includes Active 360, a longstanding Places for London tenant in an arch at Kew Bridge. They’ve been featured due to their work to bring the fun of watersports such as paddleboarding, canoeing and kayaking to Londoners while organising canal and river clean ups and working with charities to help fundraising and outreach work.

In addition, Places for London has partnered with  BOXPARK, another company proud to help small businesses. The new BOXPARK Camden opened in September, with dozens of small independent businesses bringing exciting food, drink and shopping options a short walk from Camden Town station. A further BOXPARK venue will be opening on Places for London’s estate close to Liverpool Street station in 2025. 

Places for London estate includes more than 800 railway arches. Many of these have been converted into modern spaces that house art studios, retailers and more, and the landlord is investing £300 million into its properties to make them thriving commercial and social destinations.

Joy! Collective is a great example of a multidisciplinary creative production house, which creates colourful artworks and murals for public spaces including schools from a railway arch on Geffrye Street in Hoxton. They have since worked with international companies such as Disney and Burt’s Bees, while also hosting workshops and using the railway arch as an event space for hire.

Samantha Bain-Mollison, Head of Retail at Places for London, said: “We are extremely proud to have so many small businesses on our estate, and hope Londoners will look to their local areas to find new places to discover, things to do and places to go.

“We are dedicated to working with our current and prospective tenants to help them grow, and look forward to celebrating Small Business Saturday with the thousands of shoppers helping small businesses this year.”

Iona Thomas, Founder and Director at Joy! Colllective, said: “It's been great to experience how engaged Places for London are with their tenants, and to be part of the wider arch community of varied businesses. There's been so many opportunities to cross pollinate with other small businesses. We really feel like we're building relationships, both professionally and as part of a supportive community."

Howard Dawber, Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth, said: “Small Business Saturday has been instrumental for more than a decade in celebrating smaller local businesses and the essential role they play in our communities.

“Small businesses are vital to London’s economy, and it’s brilliant that so many of them have made their home on TfL's Places for London estate.

“I encourage all Londoners to get involved in Small Business Saturday this weekend if out and about. Supporting small businesses is essential to help us to continue building a fairer and more prosperous London for everyone.”

Places for London recently published ‘We make Places for London together’, which sets out its approach to working with its customers to support them to thrive and grow while supporting local communities and London’s economy. This partnership approach includes Customer Advisory Groups and other forums to hear more frequently from businesses about their needs. Places for London held its first ever Customer Conference and Awards in September this year to celebrate the incredible entrepreneurs on the estate and their contribution to London.

The Places for London responsible business skills pilot programme delivered in partnership with the Heart of the City supports SMEs to make their businesses greener and more resilient, and supports Places for London’s new London Lease which includes clauses asking for environmental data sharing and the payment of the London Living Wage. Further external support is provided via a collaboration with Grow London Local, a one stop shop of business support delivered by London & Partners, and supported by the Mayor of London.

To find out more about Places for London’s estate – visit Retail, business & leisure property | Places for London

The We Make Places for London together brochure is available here: https://www.placesforlondon.co.uk/about-us/key-reports-and-documents

More information on the Mayor’s Grow London Local work can be found here: Matching London small businesses to support | Grow London Local