New West End Company

November 11 2009

Wednesday 11 November 2009 – New West End Company, which represents retailers in London’s West End, was today joined by leading UK retail bosses and headline sponsor, American Express, to announce the World’s Biggest Christmas Shopping Day.  Confirmed for Saturday 5 December, this will be the fifth Shop West End VIP Day (which stands for Very Important Pedestrians).

From midday on Saturday 5 December, Oxford Street and Regent Street will go traffic free.  With over four million square feet of retail space over the two streets set up to welcome and reward Christmas shoppers, Shop West End VIP Day is now the World’s Biggest Christmas Shopping Day. 

To mark the launch, a group of West End ‘Mrs Claus’ stopped traffic today on London’s Oxford Street to get shoppers in their stride for VIP Day.  The great and the good from the retail world were there, including Richard Dickinson, CEO of New West End Company; Lan Tu, Head of UK Merchant Services for American Express, Sir Philip Green, Owner of the Arcadia Group; Paul Kelly, CEO of Selfridges; Harold Tillman, Owner of Jaeger and Aquascutum; John King, CEO of House of Fraser; James Bidwell, Managing Director of the newly opened Anthropologie; and a host of ‘Mrs Claus.’

Last year, Shop West End VIP Weekend generated £150 million of sales for West End retailers with £32m incremental sales on the Saturday alone.  This year, shoppers are being wooed with the offering of Pamper & Chill Out zones, pop-up entertainment and shows in the streets.  As well as the promise of one-day only special events and promotions across the participating retailers, Shop West End VIP Day is being supported by American Express, who is offering West End shoppers the chance to double their rewards points across all American Express branded consumer cards from the UK and across all 13 rewards schemes, from BA Miles, Membership Rewards® and Cashback to Airmiles®, bmi destinations miles and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles. 
 
Richard Dickinson, CEO of New West End Company, said at the launch, “This event is a tremendous addition to the Christmas calendar, rewarding shoppers by allowing them to experience the world famous shopping streets of Oxford and Regent Street at their best.  Retailers are of course keen to kick start the all important Christmas trading season, so we hope the day is a win for all.” 

Boris Johnson, The Mayor of London, said: "Year after year, VIP Day continues to be a resounding success and a highlight in the Christmas shopping calendar. London's West End is renowned across the globe as a fantastic place to shop, attracting millions of visitors from across the country and overseas. This year, there is the added bonus of the new Oxford Circus diagonal crossing providing a more spacious and pleasant shopping experience. The VIP day is a unique event in the capital and is now regarded as the world's biggest shopping day. I look forward to hearing that the West End was packed to the rafters once again this year."

Cllr Colin Barrow, leader of Westminster City Council, commented, "The traffic-free VIP day is a great opportunity for families to visit the West End.  The West End is the unrivalled shopping and entertainment capital of Europe and, following the improvements at both Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, there are more exciting developments in the pipeline ahead of 2012 to help ensure its continued success."

Sally Chatterjee, Interim CEO, Visit London said, “Shop West End VIP Day has become a permanent fixture on London’s Christmas calendar. It’s a great opportunity for Londoners and visitors alike to enjoy a unique Christmas shopping experience in the heart of London’s most iconic streets.”

Lan Tu, Head of UK Merchant Services for American Express, commented, “This year, Christmas shoppers are looking to get maximum return for every pound they spend, and when our UK-based Cardmembers go out on Shop West End VIP Day, they will get double rewards points for every purchase they make on any American Express branded consumer card.  We are promoting this to hundreds of thousands of UK-based Cardmembers to help give West End retailers a boost to their December sales on this key, post-payday shopping weekend.”

James Bidwell, Managing Director of Anthroplogie, said, “VIP day is a great day out and reinforces the position of London's West End as the go-to destination for Christmas shopping.  Anthropologie, just opened on Regent Street, is delighted to be part of the celebrations.”

John King, CEO House of Fraser said, “This is the fifth year running we have supported the Shop West End VIP Day, which is now a firm fixture on our Christmas calendar.  Shoppers look forward to traffic-free Oxford Street and this year we’re hosting an outside beauty spa with makeovers and treatments available on the street as well as some exciting live windows!"

The announcement follows strong sales in London’s West End in September and October, which retailers hope could be a positive indicator for this Christmas.  The results of a survey of over 100 West End retailers, conducted by New West End Company and released today, reveals that half of the West End‘s stores surveyed are introducing new product ranges this Christmas and 60% of stores will be increasing trading hours in December to further encourage shoppers.  In addition, 40% of surveyed retailers confirmed they will be using tools such as in-store discounts and sales led promotional days to entice shoppers in the lead up to Christmas. 

With the Euro performing strongly against the pound, European visitors have been highlighted as a key market for West End stores this winter and retailers are anticipating increased footfall from the Continent in the lead up to Christmas.  The domestic shopper audience is a also priority this year with West End retailers anticipating a bounce back in spending by shoppers from greater London, the Home Counties and weekend visitors from further afield.