A unique approach

Years of experience has taught us that the only way to get the best possible market research data for the UK high street is to physically survey every store on the UK high street. We're the only data provider in the world that can provide this unique data set, both historically and in real time... 


 

Field Research

Our field researchers walk the streets across the UK, surveying and photographing over 80,000 retail and leisure premises every month. Using LDC’s proprietary data collection technology, we deliver the most comprehensive and up-to-date data on the retail and leisure market available.

Office Research

Our office researchers work tirelessly to process the constant flow of data that we receive from our field research team. They quality check every record we hold so that we are 100% confident that our UK retail market data is the most accurate and up-to-date source available.

 

Technology

We are proud to employ some of the brightest and most inquisitive minds in technology who are constantly innovating to improve the way we support our clients. Over the years we have developed a range of proprietary technologies, from our market-leading footfall sensors to our location insight platform, Local Data Online which is used by leading UK retailers. This allows us to operate as an agile and flexible business, adapting our products to best meet the market challenges our clients are facing.

Local Data Online

Helping inform your location strategy. Powerful, yet easy to use analytics and dashboards with historical trends, market indices and competitor profiles, enabling you to know what you need to know when you need it. The most comprehensive, current and accurate insight tool in the UK market.

Local Data Online

 

Local Data Online is used by occupiers, large and small, to provide quick and easy to use analysis that is bespoke to their market and locations. From one, easy to navigate dashboard which is updated daily, you have the ability to analyse prospect locations, understand the performance of your existing locations, track your competition and identify opportunities and threats. This insight allows you to make evidence-based decisions quicker than ever before.

Find out more
Rich, accurate data

Rich, accurate data

We have been regularly tracking activity across every retail location in the UK since 2012, using teams of field researchers to gain a real-time view of the rapidly changing landscape. This has resulted in us creating the UK’s most comprehensive and frequently updated retail location database, which includes valuable information on occupier name, location, floorspace, opening hours, brand concessions, retail classification, a photo of the fascia and much, much more. Includes data on over 360,000 independent businesses.

Find out more
Strategic Advice

Strategic Advice

Using our historical data, we can forecast and predict future trends for brands, sectors and locations to help secure the future for those invested in the retail market. Through our strategic partnerships, we take the time to understand the unique challenges faced by organisations. Through our extensive knowledge, passion for retail and the unparalleled accuracy of our market data, we work with our clients to deliver data-driven solutions for a wide range of issues.

Find out more
Our Footfall Technology

Our Footfall Technology

The Footfall technology is our latest innovation and has been designed to help you answer questions such as: How many people pass your shop front? How do you optimise your business to meet the changes in footfall be it opening hours, staffing or offers? The data is also modelled with existing environmental factors such as demographics, occupancy profiles, vacancy trends and change in nearby competing centres.

Find out more

Who we work with

Nisa
O2
Microsoft
Superdrug
deltic-group
EE
CBRE Global Investors
British land
Sainsburys
primesight
Boots
Tesco
Experian
Lloyds Bank
BHF
Clarks
Pepsico
Posterscope
Deloitte-1
FF
M&S
Tortilla
Kinetic Stacked Logo (dark)
British Land
JD
New River
Dixons
Exterion
Schroders-1
Itsu
What our customers say
“The LDO platform and associated LDC data has helped NoteMachine quantify the retail landscape and strengthened our site verification process. The ability to generate sector specific trend reports has provided our management team with up-to-date market trends which have been used to aid strategic development. LDC data has enabled us to be proactive with our sales and marketing efforts and has generated a return on investment for us within the first six months of our campaigns. The LDC team are great to work with and we now consider LDC to be a key strategic partner.”
Ben Clement, Lead Group Analyst – NoteMachine
Ben Clement, Lead Group Analyst – NoteMachine
“The relationship with LDC has grown considerably from the early days, we now use the full inclusion of all of LDC’s data and reports into our strategic estate planning. With over 450 stores to constantly monitor, alongside several thousand other locations of opportunity to review, LDO has massively reduced the amount of man-hours required in travelling to each location, manually recording data and collating analysis. Being able to instantly identify and review locations of interest, and quickly discount others, allows us to focus on the key locations that provide the best opportunities. The ability to extract and use LDC data with our other external and internal data enables a completely holistic level of analysis to be complete before there is any requirement for any field research.”
Darren Percival, Planning Manager – O2 Telefónica
Darren Percival, Planning Manager – O2 Telefónica
Darren Percival, Planning Manager - O2 Telefónica
The Local Data Company has a distinguished and distinctive position in chronicling, characterising and analysing the UK retail scene. As a leading player in the listed market for consumer equities in the UK, Shore Capital Markets finds LDC’s work to be an invaluable source of detailed analysis on the ever-changing British shopping landscape. It is an unparalleled resource.
Dr. Clive Black, Shore Capital Markets
Dr. Clive Black, Shore Capital Markets
Head of Research
After reviewing our options we made the decision to remain with LDC and renew our contract this year for another 3 years. As a team we were impressed by their understanding of the differences between the night-time economy and day-time retail markets and their ability to adapt their solution accordingly. The bespoke work they have also done to map our business portfolio and identify towns with similar demographics that we should target for expansion will be a valuable part of our decision-making process going forwards.
Alex Millington, The Deltic Group
Alex Millington, The Deltic Group
Group Finance Director
EE use the competitor data supplied by LDC in order to gain a deeper insight in to where our competition are located within the UK. By receiving this on a monthly basis we are able to track the changing landscape of all our competitors, and see where they are either leaving or entering new towns, shopping centres and retail parks. The data helps us to makes decisions on new retail store micro locations, as well as our wider retail strategy piece. LDC are our supplier of choice as their data is kept up to date, is accurate, and the communications with their personnel is effortless.
Michelle Honey, EE
Michelle Honey, EE
Senior Property Location Planning and Data Manager
Working with LDC, we are doing vital work to measure footfall and vacancy rates across our BID area and other competing centres. Having accurate and detailed footfall data that we can drill down to hourly counts enables us to attract the right brands to support the day and night time economies in the Waterloo area and allows us to evidence the positive impact of our BID work with quantitative measures.
Ben Stephenson, WeAreWaterloo BID
Ben Stephenson, WeAreWaterloo BID
Chief Executive
The information from the LDC is hugely important for us, not just to understand visitor flow around our city, but to enhance our proposition to prospective businesses who are thinking about locating to the city.
Gavin Stewart, Brighton Business Improvement District (BID)
Gavin Stewart, Brighton Business Improvement District (BID)
Chief Executive
NewRiver engaged with LDC to understand footfall at The Ridings Shopping Centre. The brief was to understand not only flows of people into/out of the centre but also around the scheme and across floors. NewRiver decided to use two footfall solutions simultaneously in order to test and compare the accuracy of LDC’s newly developed technology – the results were positive. NewRiver found the mobile device counting solution from LDC has created results which gives greater granularity into flows within the scheme but was also able to distinguish visitors during peak times better than the, now removed, previous solution. LDC is working to bespoke the data visualisation and reporting in line with specific requirements by NewRiver which will be used for board level reporting, marketing activities and investment decisions.
Paul Wright, NewRiver
Paul Wright, NewRiver
Director
BlueGem worked with LDC on our diligence for Jack Wills, a premium British fashion brand. The work was done to a high standard, delivered on time and presented with clarity and extremely helpful insight, layered on top of excellent data. We will surely work with LDC again and we would recommend them to any of our peers.
James Purvis, Tristan Capital Partners
Vishesh Srivastava, BlueGem
Partner
As well as providing a comprehensive and unique data set that enables us to build a stronger understanding of the UK retail markets, LDC has a flexible approach in delivering to our requirements.
James Purvis, Tristan Capital Partners
James Purvis, Tristan Capital Partners
Associate, Research and Investment Strategy
NewRiver engaged with LDC to understand footfall at The Ridings Shopping Centre. The brief was to understand not only flows of people into/out of the centre but also around the scheme and across floors. NewRiver decided to use two footfall solutions simultaneously in order to test and compare the accuracy of LDC’s newly developed technology – the results were positive. NewRiver found the mobile device counting solution from LDC has created results which gives greater granularity into flows within the scheme but was also able to distinguish visitors during peak times better than the, now removed, previous solution. LDC is working to bespoke the data visualisation and reporting in line with specific requirements by NewRiver which will be used for board level reporting, marketing activities and investment decisions.
Paul Wright, NewRiver
Emma Mackenzie, NewRiver
Director
LDC has helped us really understand a complicated independent specialist card sector by providing an excellent understanding of the current store estates and historical trends in this area. This has helped us make some big decisions about future business strategy and will really drive bottom line profitability. In addition to that the team are great and have been brilliant at answering queries quickly, accurately and timely. They are a real pleasure to work with.
James Mackenzie, Hallmark
James Mackenzie, Hallmark
Head of Category and Insight
At NewRiver we are very research focused which is why we use LDC. We use research to support our acquisition programme, improving our asset management capability and maximising the potential in our development portfolio. LDC provide us with wide ranging data that is accurate and current. Moreover they are able to articulate that data to NewRiver in a relevant way. Research is important as it allows for better decision making and reduces risk which is why we wouldn't hesitate to recommend LDC.
Allan Lockhart, NewRiver
Allan Lockhart, NewRiver
Property Director
Using the LDC footfall counters, we have been able to monitor our own footfall and also compare footfall statistics with other businesses in the area. This has enabled us to track which events attract the highest footfall so that we can give our member businesses the best service possible in our commitment to keeping the Angel a prime visitor destination. LDC has been great to work with and is always flexible and responsive.
Mark Turner, angel.london
Mark Turner, angel.london

Resources

Blog

Insights & Opinions
FIND OUT MORE

Reports

Free to download
Find out more

Events

Free to attend
Find out more

Find out how LDC can help you with your location strategy

Market Research for the UK Retail Sector. Copyright © 2019. LDC | The Local Data Company Ltd is a company registered in England & Wales with company number 04821785 | 13-19 Vine Hill, London, EC1R 5DW | VAT Registered No. 820601475 | Data Transparency | Growth Driven Design by Strategic Inbound.