Westminster has the most female-owned businesses in London

Study reveals how many London boroughs have female-owned and ethnic minority-owned businesses 

• Study explores London’s independent hotspots
• Southwark is the top borough with the most ethnic minority-owned businesses
• Westminster has the most female-owned businesses with 52 shops

Southwark, Westminster, and Lambeth boast the most independent female and ethnic-minority-owned businesses according to new research.

London is full of giant chains and well-known retailers, but the city is also bursting with independent shops, boutiques, and markets. But how many of these are female and ethnic minority owned?

To shine a light on London’s independent offering, Barratt London has revealed London’s independent shopping hotspots, delving into how many businesses are female-owned and ethnic minority-owned.

Which London boroughs have the most ethnic minority-owned businesses?

Southwark takes the crown for the most ethnic minority-owned business with 42. Venezuela food stall La Pepia is the only store in the line-up based in Maltby Market. Borough Market is home to Blackwoods Cheese Company, Mexican pastry stall Changarro and Italian Gelato stall Gelateria 3BIS.

Lambeth follows in second place with 20 businesses and Hackney takes third place with 15 ethnic minority-owned businesses.

Herne Hill Market in Lambeth is home to sauce stall Chilli Parmar, jewellery shop Karen Morrison and Japanese stall Okan. The Olive Oil Co, Liha Beauty and gift shop Etchd are in Hackney’s Broadway Market.

Top 10 Boroughs with the most ethnic minority-owned businesses
Rank	Borough	Number of ethnic minority- owned businesses
1	Southwark	42
2	Lambeth	20
3	Hackney	15
4	Camden	13
5	Greenwich	9
=6	City of Westminster	5
=6	Tower Hamlets	5
=8	Islington	1
=8	Newham	1
=8	Waltham Forest	1

Which London boroughs have the most female-owned businesses?

Westminster is in first place for the highest amount of female-owned businesses with a total of 52. Most of Westminster’s female-owner are located in Alfie’s Antique Market and Covent Garden Market.

Lambeth is in second place with 41 female-owned businesses. Some mentions include The Ethiopian Coffee Company in Southbank Centre Food Market, Ebby’s Kitchen and creative shop Sarah Morgan which sit in Herne Hill Market.

Hackney follows in third with 38 female-owned businesses. A couple of standalone independent shops are bookshop Pages of Hackney and clothing shop Aida and whilst many are located on Broadway Market.

Top 10 Boroughs with the most female-owned businesses
Rank	Borough	Number of female-owned businesses
1	Westminster	52
2	Lambeth	41
3	Hackney	38
4	Camden	36
5	Greenwich	36
6	Southwark	27
7	Tower Hamlets	13
8	Waltham Forest	11
=9	Kensington and Chelsea	9
=9	Richmond upon Thames	9
10	Wandsworth	7

Rose Pullan, senior marketing and communications manager at Barratt London, said: “Since the pandemic, independent shops and local businesses have been hit the hardest.

With Barratt London having a presence in many of these communities, we wanted to shine a light on London’s independent offering for locals to explore.

Shopping local allows you to pick up handmade items you wouldn’t find in giant chains and is the perfect way to find one of a kind Christmas gifts.”

You can find more information about each of the independent businesses here.