.London Launches April 29 – 200,000 London businesses likely to claim new .london web address

More than 200,000 small businesses in London say they are likely to register a new .london internet address when the domain names go on sale at the end of April.

A YouGov survey of small businesses in London found that more than one in four (26 per cent, equivalent to 218,140 companies ¹) were likely to register for a .london web address. Almost half (48 per cent) of those said they would do so because they are proud to be a London business ², 41 per cent said a .london web address would help customers find them more easily and 27 per cent said it would help generate more sales.

The survey was conducted on behalf of London & Partners, the Mayor’s official promotional organisation for London.

.london web addresses will go on sale on April 29 making London one of the first cities in the world to launch its own domain. It will mark the start of a three-month period when Londoners will be given priority in reserving a new .london web address. Trademark holders will also have priority in securing their .london domain.

Gordon Innes, Chief Executive of London & Partners said: “This is an incredible response from London’s small business community which sees .london as an opportunity to claim an exciting new web address that is uniquely associated with our city’s powerful brand. We already know that tens of thousands of businesses have expressed an interest in a .london web address including major brands like Selfridges, Radisson Blu Edwardian and Carnaby. This latest survey of small business owners gives us confidence that other organisations and individuals will be just as excited about .london when the domains go on sale on April 29.”

Martha Lane Fox, Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho, co-founder lastminute.com and former Government digital champion said: “The new generic domain names are a big change to the web. .london offers businesses and organisations in the capital a chance to be at the cutting edge of that change and show the world how innovative they can be.”

In 2013 London & Partners, with the support of the Mayor of London secured the new .london domain in a deal with ICANN, the global internet body. ICANN is set to release more than one thousand new generic top-level domains in response to demand for more relevant internet addresses, representing the biggest expansion of the domain space for decades. Internet registrars – companies that sell domain names – say there has been huge interest in .london.

Matt Mansell, Group Managing Director of internet registrar 123-reg.co.uk said: “We’ve had thousands and thousands of expressions of interest in the new top-level domains and .london is certainly one of the most popular. The city is riding high after the Olympics and the .london domain will help businesses and organisations capitalise on the national and international interest in London.”

Londoners registering a .london domain will receive a new web address that is more relevant, easy to remember and instantly identifies them as being located in London. Dozens of leading brands have recognised the attraction of a .london web address and are backing the new domain, including ABP, Museum of London and Society of London Theatre.

Nick Miller, Chief Executive Officer of Meantime Brewing Company said: “Meantime is a company with its roots firmly planted in the fabric of London. Innovation and creativity is at the heart of everything we do. As London prepares to embark on an exciting new chapter in the digital evolution of business in the city, we are excited to support and celebrate the introduction of .london.”

David Pegler, Chief Executive Officer of ExCeL London said: “London is one of the world’s leading destinations for event organisers. Last year we welcomed over 3.6 million visitors to ExCeL London, of which 900,000 were international business tourists. That activity generated £2.9 billion of economic impact and supported 31,000 jobs. A .london internet address will magnify our global reach and support us in bringing world class events to London from the rest of the UK and abroad.”

Information on the new .london domain is available online at http://www.mydotlondon.com