Sevenoaks is a great place to do business – but parking, traffic and recruitment issues top the agenda for local companies according to research carried out by Warners

• Research by Warners Solicitors, undertaken at the Sevenoaks Business Show, reveals attitudes to the town
• Vast majority would recommend Sevenoaks as a place to do business
• Access to London and business community seen as key advantages

SEVENOAKS is a good place to base your business according to a study carried out by Warners Solicitors at the town’s recent Business Show held in the Plaza Suite at The Stag Theatre.

Encouragingly, 85% of businesses surveyed would recommend Sevenoaks as a place to operate a business. The thriving business community and Chamber of Commerce (52%) and geographical positioning with easy access to London and the rest of Kent (72%) were praised as advantages to doing business in the town.

When representatives from local companies were asked what they love about Sevenoaks, the town’s sense of community featured highly, with comments including great atmosphere, business networking and multiple responses of the sense of community.

However, more than half of respondents highlighted that parking and traffic issues (55%) presented the biggest challenges to operating in Sevenoaks, followed by recruiting and retaining the right talent (38%).

In addition, when asked to recommend one thing Sevenoaks could do to improve, parking and traffic again topped the agenda, with comments including make parking cheaper, more parking and less congestion.

The research also explored attitudes to business generally, with 72% of respondents pinpointing Brexit and ongoing economic uncertainty as the biggest issues they are facing.

Recruiting and retaining employees with the right skills also emerged as an issue, with 85% claiming they find it either somewhat or very challenging.

Commenting on the research findings, Kirsty Humphrey, Marketing Manager at Warners Solicitors said: “As a Sevenoaks-based organisation, we know first hand what a vibrant and supportive place it is to do business. It is great to see this view echoed by other West Kent organisations from across a range of industries. However, it is clear that many are frustrated by issues relating to parking and traffic, which need to be addressed if the town is to continue to thrive.

“We also recognise that many organisations are experiencing disruption in the face of economic uncertainty and skills shortages. We regularly work with clients in Kent and beyond, offering them innovative and expert legal solutions to navigate their way through challenging times.