Localism and the hospitality industry: The Shaftesbury perspective

We’re getting there. After some of the hardest months on record for the hospitality sector, widespread ‘freedom’ (in the pandemic-driven sense of the word) has finally become a reality.

July’s ‘Freedom Day’ was met with great anticipation and hope from operators and Londoners alike, keen to embrace a big step toward normality. The industry has subsequently felt a significant positive shift as domestic tourism provided a boost to the West End over the summer holidays and office workers return to their desks in increasing numbers week-on-week.  This has been bolstered by a significant increase in demand from across the F&B sector, with the buzzing spirit and liveliness we have come to love in the capital gradually being reinstated.

All of this continues to support the rejuvenation of the hospitality experience in London and the myriad operators who make it what it is.

This rejuvenation comes hand-in-hand with the growth in localism that gained considerable pace during the pandemic. An increasing movement toward the ’15-minute city’ concept, wherein residents can meet their needs within a short walk or bicycle ride from their homes, has only fuelled the localism trend further.

As we look to the future, could localism add even more central London’s continued revival? 

The definition of localism is interesting within the specific context of hospitality. In the heart of London’s West End for instance, this concept is very much reflected in community. A distinct sense of community has been actively fostered across our villages, including Seven Dials, Soho, Chinatown and Carnaby, through a carefully curated and complementary line-up. The independent cafés, bars and restaurants offer authenticity, character and familiarity, while also adding personality and diversity across the intertwining streets.

While this attention to localism and individual villages has always been key to Shaftesbury’s hospitality strategy, it has become a crucial point of difference as London rebuilds. It has been heartening to see how quickly the sense of community has been re-established across the West End. One example of this the Soho Business Alliance, founded in 2020 as a forum for hospitality operators and wider Soho businesses.  It pools support and knowledge, and lobbied for local and central government support during the crucial recovery period.

At a neighbourhood level, we have also seen an accelerated recovery in the wider sense of community and neighbourhoods, as commuters come in more regularly and the long term residential population recovers following the return of students and work-based West End residents. All of these demographics are key to the long term viability of F&B operators who rely on repeat business, customer loyalty and recommendations.

Over the course of the pandemic, consumer behaviour and hospitality habits changed beyond recognition. Delivery apps, meal kits and on-line tutorials boomed, but so too have the local F&B outlets that consumers have discovered, or reacquainted themselves with, on their doorsteps. The desire behind localism has also stemmed from the rise in mindful consumption, with many people now seeking out and wanting to support independents rather than large chains.

While these changes in behaviour are significant, ‘localism’ can be adapted beyond the ‘local’, and it is there to be discovered in the West End.

When walking through the West End, one is greeted with touches of localism at every turn. In Seven Dials, for instance, we have worked hard to develop a village atmosphere wherein the sense of community plays an integral part of the experience. We have destinations such as Seven Dials Market, home to a cluster of independent operators in one undercover permanent space.  Meanwhile, a new independent coffee roaster, WatchHouse, at 7 Upper St. Martin’s Lane, will be entirely individual in its fit out.  WatchHouse will join the likes of 26 Grains and White Pine, all of whom have a select number of sites and are driven by a community spirit and a clear, independent and sustainable vision.

When stepping into Soho and Carnaby, the sense of localism is just as present, particularly within Kingly Court. Here you will find Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, founded by entrepreneur, chef and refugee, Imad Alarnab. When living in Syria, Imad ran three successful restaurants, cafés and juice bars in Damascus, which he was forced to abandon when fleeing the country. Imad selected Carnaby for his first pop-up site, which led on to taking a permanent restaurant in Kingly Court. Now thriving as an independent operator, Imad’s unique entrepreneurial story adds colour and character to the area.

Similarly, Filipino-Japanese family run concept, Ramo Ramen, has recently launched in Brewer Street, Soho, building on the success of their original neighbourhood site in Kentish Town and that of their sister concept, Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream in Chinatown’s “Dessert Bar Alley”, another micro-community of complementary independent Asian sweet treat operators and a meeting place for international students and the younger Chinatown community. Identifying and working with this breed of independent, locally founded restaurants is what enables Shaftesbury to tap into the character-driven sense of localism across each of our West End villages.

We are proud that Shaftesbury’s longstanding emphasis on localism and community, which has always been entrenched within our place-making strategy, now puts the West End in a far stronger position post ‘Freedom Day’.

But our efforts in driving localism are not enough on their own to rejuvenate the West End.  What London needs, indeed towns and cities across the UK need, is an emphatic ‘call to arms’ from the government to encourage the revitalisation of the sector in urban locations.  The easing of restrictions is a passive gesture, when an active push is what is required including measures to facilitate long term al fresco dining in the West End, together with pro-active action to address the current recruitment crisis, supply chain, pricing and other challenges facing the hospitality industry.

We should not forget either the need to collaborate, nor the power of doing so.  Working with our neighbours, our tenants, other owners, local authorities, residents and community groups has long been key to the success of our villages and the West End more widely.

Alongside stronger messaging from the government, a continuation of the mutual support shown throughout the pandemic will see the West End not only survive but thrive moving forward.