Looking for love in London like most cities around the world is doomed to failure for many of the capital’s young, free and single, according to the world’s best matchmaker Lara Asprey, founder of Asprey Introductions.
With an impossibly huge pool of swipes at one's fingertips, getting past the 'hook up' stage into any kind of 'next phase' is very rare, and for Londoners seeking genuine romance, it's a minefield.
Nearly one third of the UK’s eligible singletons live in London. According to the last census, that’s up to 28% of the UK population aged between 18 and 34 and equates to nearly three million people.
As Lara explains: “London is full of busy and often lonely people so dating apps may seem ideal, the problem is it encourages a 'BBD' (Bigger, Better Deal) mentally as I call it, and hook ups, rather than relationships, are formed.
"In a place as densely populated as London (upwards of 15 million souls), a fruitless search for true love via an app leaves singletons depressed and even lonelier.
"As a consequence, many Londoners are disillusioned with dating apps and are now opting to meet people in the old fashioned way. In fact, statistics show that 80% of couples meet offline.
Not for Asprey Introductions however is the average London singleton; living in shared accommodation, unable to drive, eating out four days a week with no other disposable income. Her service is for those in the market for a high-quality, luxury dating experience.
When Asprey Introductions was launched in 2014, the Kensington-based agency quickly began attracting romance-ready socialites, international jet-setters and a line-up of well-known but lovelorn celebrities.
Lara first began her mission to unite lonely hearts when she realised that those seeking a genuinely classy dating experience had nowhere to turn. As a result, she is now the UK’s go-to guru on dating, relationships and life coaching. She is author of The Very British Rules of Dating and star of a fly-on-the-wall TV series about the agency called The Ultimate Matchmaker, which aired on UK TV last autumn and will be rerun in the next few months.