West London > Hospitality, Food and Drink

West London – Catering for the Capital

West London is one of the most dynamic economies in the world.  With 57,500 businesses including a host of world brands and a strong and thriving small and medium-sized business community, West London is the ideal place to set up a UK-based food business.

A global player

West London:

  • Contributes £32.8bn to the national economy
  • Is bigger than the UK’s second City Birmingham, with a population of 1.4 million people
  • Has a high proportion of people educated degree standard and above
  • Is home to Heathrow Airport, the busiest international airport in the world
  • Attracts global brands such as Cisco, British Airways, GSK and the BBC
  • Is 30 Minutes from Central London

For 80 years West London has been a magnet for businesses in the food and drink sector. On the doorstep of central London and with excellent transport links to the UK and Europe, West London is the first choice home of the food and drink business in the UK.

The first phase of growth in this sector was fuelled by businesses locating in West London as a convenient area to feed the booming restaurants, hotels and shops of a growing London.

The rise of Heathrow kick-started the second boom in this industry as air travel became more readily available and airline catering companies moved into the area to service the rise in passengers.

More recently the growing ethnic food cluster that has developed around Southall with world famous brand Noon Products at its core, has cemented West London’s reputation as the home of food and drink in the UK.

Light bites

  • West London is home to the biggest biscuit factory in Europe, producing 75,000 tonnes a year
  • 1 million sandwiches a month are prepared by Hazlewood foods in Park Royal
  • Noon products produces 150,000 ready meals a day and has an annual turnover of £90 million a year

People

  • West London has a population of 1.4 million
  • Over 700,000 people employed in the sub-region
  • 14,500 employed in the food and drink sector
  • Large available pool of talent at all levels
  • In West London more 16 year olds continue in full time education than the London and national average
  • The number of people employed in the food and drink sector has increased by 30% since 1995
  • Strong training opportunities exist for the food and drink sectors through West London’s 5 Further Education Colleges and 2 universities
  • The University of West London is a world leader in food technology research

Markets

  • 214 food and drink establishments in West London
  • 6000 restaurants in London
  • 5700 food and drink outlets in London
  • Eating out in London contributes £8 billion per annum to the local economy
  • 20 million people are within a 90 minute drive of West London
  • 126 million people live within one day by road freight of London

Food and drink sector

  • Ten per cent of all jobs in London are linked to the food and drink sector
  • Food and drink has been the best performing manufacturing sector in London over the past 5 years
  • The second largest manufacturing sector in London is food and drink

Park Royal

There are now 140 businesses involved in the food industry on the Park Royal Industrial Estate employing 6000 people.