HACKNEY SHOREDITCH The area is home to London’s largest number of start-ups, and Europe’s highest concentration of tech and creative businesses. Hackney Council has also signed a partnership agreement with Austin, Texas, to build on collaboration between tech incubators in both cities, and between Austin’s South By South West Interactive Festival and the Digital Shoreditch Festival. Shoreditch is a highly entrepreneurial and knowledge-based business community, with dozens of small enterprises based in the same buildings doing business on a global scale, and ably supported by a similarly burgeoning hospitality sector. Hackney as a whole has seen 21% business growth since 2004, nearly double London’s rate. This new activity is concentrated primarily in media, £1billion investment in the London technology and consulting. Between 1994 and Overground rail network has transformed 2007, Hackney saw a 27% drop in VAT registered A Shoreditch’s links to the rest of London, businesses in manufacturing. What grew up to with a vastly improved service opening up ready fi ll the manufacturing workspace were creative access to the town centre for the whole region. and technology businesses, as well as fashion designers and artists. Shoreditch has a long-standing, rich creative history, being on of Europe’s main theatre districts This brochure will tell you more about what in the late 16th century, home to the country’s fi rst, Shoreditch can offer your business, and why you the Curtain, and also the Rose Theatre and the should move to Hackney: one of the most exciting, original Globe Theatre, and premiering plays by dynamic and creative areas of London. William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson. Today, the Shoreditch town centre area is also Hackney’s biggest employment centre, providing 30,000 jobs with thousands commuting in every day Jules Pipe, from around the borough and all over London. Mayor of Hackney FOREWORD 2 WELCOME TO SHOREDITCH Right on the doorstep of the City, Shoreditch is one warehouses into loft apartments and made Hoxton of London’s most fashionable neighbourhoods. Square the centre of contemporary bohemia. A run down area up until the 1990s, it is now the This popular corner of London is now home to hub of creative and artistic talent for the capital, numerous art galleries, bars, restaurants and with international brand names such as Last.FM, clubs and is very much the cutting edge of London Google and Moshi Monsters all based there, as contemporary life. well as being a highly desirable residential location. Shoreditch’s renaissance was led by the infl ux of Shoreditch has acted as a catalyst for regeneration, artists and designers looking for cheap live/work as companies and residents alike spread out spaces close to the City and good transport links. over Hackney taking with them the fashions and creativity that the borough is now known for. The area then quickly became well known for art and nightlife, and when Jay Jopling opened up The last few years have seen a huge infl ux of an outpost of the internationally-renowned White businesses being drawn to the neighbourhood. Cube gallery there in 2000, Shoreditch was placed These have been from all industries, but fi rmly on the London cultural map. predominantly from the creative and hospitality sectors. Shoreditch is home to the largest Shoreditch has a long-standing, rich creative history, concentration of creative industries in Europe and being one of Europe’s main theatre districts in the has enough clubs, pubs and celebrity hangouts to late 16th century, home to the country’s fi rst, the rival the West End. It is also becoming famous for its Shoreditch is fi rmly on Curtain, and also the Rose Theatre and the original quality cuisine and is the setting for Jamie Oliver’s London’s cultural map Globe Theatre, and premiering plays by William Fifteen restaurant and the Hoxton Apprentice, which Shakespeare and Ben Jonson. are also both innovative social enterprises. In recent years Shoreditch and neighbouring Shoreditch is a local success story that is now Hoxton have attracted more and more young attracting international interest. This is your creative professionals who have turned former opportunity to become part of the story. 3 YOUR CUSTOMERS The median household income for Shoreditch The knowledge economy is mainly self-employed; is £34,320, compared with £21,949 in Newham, across the borough the number of people reporting and households have a high average weekly to be their own boss increased by 4% in 2007 and expenditure and a preference for consumer goods. has remained between 2% and 3% higher than the London average ever since. During 2010, 17% of Commuters to the area make use of the Shoreditch Hackney residents were self-employed. High Street London Overground station, which sees 17,000 journeys each weekday, as well as Old Research commissioned by Hackney Council Street Underground station, which in 2010 saw over shows that Shoreditch is also within a pocket of 20million journeys. households with a high level of preference for quality goods. Shoreditch is Hackney’s main employment centre, providing 30,000 jobs, and hosts the majority of employees in the creative and tech sectors as well as high street businesses. The employment base is wide, with fi nancial services, advertising and market research, telecommunications, computer consulting, and Café culture in Shoreditch management and legal consultancies included. Social work, education, cleaning companies, transport and licensed restaurants also provide a high number of jobs. There are scores of restaurants and bars in Shoreditch 4 YOUR CUSTOMERS Electricity Showrooms Shoreditch 5 Hackney Council is working with the Government in its Tech City initiative to support new businesses moving to the area, by providing practical help with business support, fi nding premises, and planning advice. 6 TECH CITY There are nearly 1,000 creative and digital to the local economy. The vision for the Digital businesses in Shoreditch, which has led to Shoreditch Festival is to be as signifi cant to the the area being hailed as Tech City, and Silicon industry as its counterpart in the United States. Roundabout. Hackney Council is working with the Government Shoreditch is the hottest tech cluster in Europe in its Tech City initiative to support new businesses with names such as Last.FM, Google, Songkick, moving to the area, by providing practical help and Moshi Monsters all based in the area, which with orientation tours, business support, fi nding also hosts London’s biggest number of start-ups. premises, and planning advice, as well as linking up companies and investors through the These home-grown businesses span fi lm development of business associations and events. production, design, advertising, online games, mobile apps, publishing, printing, and To promote the borough and local companies, communications. It is an arts-led economy that Hackney Council, Digital Shoreditch and the has grown over the past 20 years, beginning with Government’s IC tomorrow agency launched an infl ux of artists and designers into Shoreditch Race for Apps in November 2011, a competition making use of affordable workspace and the City’s to crowdsource mobile apps for use by visitors to good internet access. Hackney ahead of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. From the late 1990s, fi lmmakers and architects came into the area, which prompted an 81% An apprenticeship and work placement scheme increase in bars, restaurants and pubs over is also being developed by companies to ensure the next decade. The night time destinations of local young people get an opportunity to join the Shoreditch and Hoxton, combined with affordable industry. The Council is helping to set up visits by offi ce space, formed the foundation of the modern creative industry representatives to schools in the technology ecosystem. borough and to Hackney Community College, so that young people can learn how to run their own An agreement signed between Hackney and business and consider a career in the creative Race for Apps competition winners Austin, Texas, in January, 2012, builds on existing sector. Mohammed and Zainab from collaboration between Shoreditch’s creative, tech Foodsplore and fi lm industries and those in Austin. The Texan The Tech City area stretches from Shoreditch to city also hosts the annual South By South West Dalston, and on to Hackney Wick where more than Interactive Festival, attracting tens of thousands of 600 creative businesses are based next to the exhibitors and visitors, and worth over $200million Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. 7 HOTELS COMING NIGHT TIME TO SHOREDITCH ECONOMY With proposals from global household name Nobu Shoreditch needs little introduction as one of to open one of its fi rst hotels in Shoreditch, the area London’s thriving night time economy destinations, is now established as an international destination, with its own scene of scores of bars, clubs, with six more proposed hotels on their way. galleries, and cultural spaces offering a highly individual alternative to Soho, the West End, and Nobu has received planning permission to develop central London. a fi ve-storey, 143-bedroom hotel in Willow Street, with a restaurant, bar and conference space, Licensed premises meet regularly with the creating over 100 jobs. It will feature an exciting police and Hackney Council offi cers to discuss design in keeping with the creativity of Shoreditch, forthcoming events and festivals, and a dramatic entranceway viewed from Great changes to regulations, and Eastern Street. how best to improve the area collectively for local residents A diamond-shaped, 24-storey hotel in City Road and businesses as well as Artsist’s impressions of has received planning permission, for over 240 night time economy visitors. the proposed Nobu hotel rooms, while a 135-room Bravo Hotel at Scrutton Street and Curtain Road received planning permission earlier in 2012.