.LONDON Purring Along With Over 40,000 Registrations

The .london gTLD is purring along and has made it into seventh place on the nTLDstats.com list of all new gTLDs with 41,922 domains registered. The gTLD has had widespread appeal, partly due to their being no eligibility requirements, with 15 percent of all domains registered outside the United Kingdom according to figures released by GoDaddy.

Registrants in the United States account for 5.9 percent of all .london domains registered, 1.9 percent are from Germany and 1.1 percent from Australia. The diversity “show that London is one of the most attractive cities to businesses worldwide” said Stefano Maruzzi, VP of GoDaddy EMEA.

“The .LONDON domain was always going to prove popular with local businesses as it gives them a great opportunity to personalise their digital identity and build greater ties with their location,” Maruzzi went on to say. “However, we’ve also seen a large number of businesses outside the UK acting swiftly to boost their profile in one of the world’s largest and most competitive business hubs.”

Interest in Dot London has been strong from the start and on the first day the new domain name went on general availability over 9,000 domains were registered making a total of over 44,000 registrations now received. Leading businesses that have signed up include Fortnum & Mason, KPMG, Metro Bank, Cath Kidston, ZSL London Zoo, the menswear clothing firm dunhill, The Royal College of Art, and Storm Models, who represent models such as Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne.

“The launch of Dot London is one of the most exciting things to have happened on London’s digital scene for many years, and it’s thrilling to be right at the centre of this ground-breaking moment,” said Boris Johnson, The Mayor of London. “London’s new domain name provides a phenomenal opportunity to link businesses all over the world with our city’s powerful brand.”

A number of London and UK-based sports teams and associations, including West Ham United and Harlequins, have also registered their Dot London names with the aim of bolstering their links with London’s reputation as one of the world’s leading international sporting arenas.

“Deciding to adopt a Dot London domain name was a very easy decision for us at Harlequins. We are the London rugby club with a vibrant history in the city and a real heritage within the capital,” said Harlequins Head of Marketing and Communications, Imogen Gaunt. “This domain reinforces our London position and augments the relationships we have with our supporters and partners in the city.”

The new domain name has also, as expected, proved to be popular with many of London’s SMEs, with applications from companies like Highgate-based classic car dealers, Hexagon Classics; family-run organic butchers, Grahams; and Southeast London-based The Cake Store, who have been baking since 1945.

“For over 50 years we have been in the business of dealing with iconic luxury British motoring brands, such as Jaguar and Aston Martin, so having a Dot London domain name will allow us to stand out from the rest and strengthen our link with one of the most seminal brands in the world – London,” said Paul Michaels, chairman of Hexagon Classics.