# London's hierarchy of high street stores

Something that’s been interesting me recently: London’s surprisingly
strict hierarchy of high street stores (chains/franchises). There’s
shops that are found in rich areas, and shops that are found in poor
areas, and never the twain shall meet—you can get a pretty feel for how
rich an area is from its shops, as well as what other stores might open
up soon. Similar “rules” probably apply to other big cities, but I think
London is particularly consistent—you don’t often find a shop in the
“wrong” area.

Pearlie and I made up this list (most affleunt to least affluent):

> Space NK\
> Muji\
> Paul’s\
> Body Shop\
> Wagamamas\
> Pizza Express\
> Eat\
> itsu\
> Pret\
> Starbucks\
> Office\
> Costa\
> Caffe Nero\
> Coffee Republic\
> Blacks\
> Fat Face\
> Odd Bins\
> Sainsburys Local\
> Tesco Express\
> Network Mobile Phone Shop (e.g. O2 shop)\
> Threshers\
> Rymans\
> Carphone Warehouse\
> Snappy Snaps\
> Holland & Barrett\
> Foot Locker\
> JD Sports\
> Boots\
> Blockbuster\
> Londis\
> Somerfield\
> Superdrug\
> Domino’s\
> McDonald’s\
> Burger King\
> Subway\
> KFC

The rules for what gets included are a little loose, but basically any
chain with at least 10 stores in London were included. We didn’t count
bigger stores (like H&M, supermarkets) because they’re often
destinations in their own right. In some cases, there is a small amount
of movement upward. (The fast food chains, for example, are sometimes
found about Starbucks level.) Betting shops (William Hill, Ladbrokes)
are pretty much the only shops we could think of that can be found
pretty much anywhere.