Boutique developer Aitch Group has announced their Bethnal Green development, Empress Works, is the only new homes development in the locale to have completely sold out, with over 75% of sales enquiries coming through social media.

Empress Works is a warehouse-style live-work development on Regent’s Canal. The development consists of 55 apartments and includes three fully redeveloped heritage cottages, all of which sold in just under a year since the development was launched in October 2020. Aitch Group attribute such strong demand to effective social media marketing, the canal side location and access to a variety of large outdoor spaces offering jaw dropping views of London.

Over the course of Empress Works being marketed, over 1,300 applicants registered their interest in the development. Social media proved to be the most effective medium to generate leads with Facebook and Instagram accounting for almost 75% of all enquiry sources, illustrating the growing importance of utilising social media in a marketing campaign within the property industry. Aitch Group set up separate Instagram and Facebook accounts to market Empress Works alongside their existing Aitch Group accounts. This maximised exposure and meant that buyers had designated platforms they could visit to discover more about Empress Works.

Aitch Group report that a strong source of buyers at Empress Works also came from those who had viewed or bought in the scheme, emphasising the confidence buyers felt in the quality of the development.

Aitch Group also report that all apartments at Empress Works were sold ahead of ambitious pricing forecasts, highlighting the strong demand for quality residential developments in the area. Likewise, one investor who purchased an apartment in Empress Works received multiple bids from prospective renters when he came to market it and ended up with bids at 40% over the asking price, further highlighting the demand in the area.

The most successful month for reservations was March 2021, report Aitch Group, with more than double the reservations made than any other month in the year since launch. This coincided with the UK Governments’ roadmap out of lockdown and the gradual lifting of restrictions showing that at this point, buyers were confident in the future and securing a home in London.

Empress Works is shaped around a cobbled courtyard with three communal roof terraces providing the sociable pinnacle of the complex. This access to outdoor space within the development is ideal for the post-pandemic buyer with 33% of British home buyers reporting the pandemic has made having a garden more important to them with 25% of buyers seeking access to more green space than they currently have, according to a recent YouGov survey.

On the ground floor there are studios and creative workspaces which bring a buzz to the immediate area. There are also concierge services meaning buyers feel safe and looked after and with a high-class gym on offer, included as part of the service charge, assured they have everything they could need within the development.

The specification of the apartments was very well received, with wide plank pale timber flooring, matt bronze finishes and large warehouse style windows flooding rooms with light. Raw concrete ceilings in living areas helped emphasise the warehouse theme visible throughout, a nod to the industrial heritage of the site.

Residents at Empress Works will get to enjoy the Bethnal Green scene, including the ever-popular Broadway Market and Columbia Road flower market.

For the physical and emotional wellbeing of Empress Works residents, it is a short stroll to the vast green spaces of Victoria Park and London Fields and with the development overlooking the calming waterway of Regent’s Canal, with narrow boats quietly passing by, residents will always feel part of the vibrant East London lifestyle. For getting around London quickly on public transport, Empress Works is situated conveniently, with Cambridge Heath station only a four-minute walk away and on the line to Liverpool Street and the City.

Chelsea Reynolds, Director at Aitch Group says: “We are thrilled, but not surprised with the fantastic sales results at Empress Works. The location is fantastic and we are delighted that the development itself resonated so well with buyers. The marketing statistics really highlighted the importance of social media, with 75% of enquiries coming through Facebook and Instagram, helping us sell out in record time.”