New West End Company

May 18 2009

London’s West End saw a strong presence from domestic shoppers this April. The warm weather and the continued weakness of the pound against the Euro and Dollar, encouraged UK residents, to travel to the West End for a Weekend break instead of travelling abroad for the Easter holidays.

According to New West End Company, which represents retailers in London’s West End, shopper foot flow increased by 3.1% year-on-year.  The West End also outperformed the rest of the UK where foot flow was flat at 0.7% year-on-year. The Easter bank holiday weekend saw 2 million shoppers hit Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street with a 10.5% increase on Easter Monday compared to 2008.

Says Jace Tyrrell, spokesperson for New West End Company, “Domestic shoppers are rediscovering the joys of their own capital. UK residents are coming to the West End to seek out the world famous European flagships such as Banana Republic and Liberty, that can’t be found anywhere else in the UK. We are used to hearing the accents of the Eurozone shoppers, the French, German and Italians but we are now hearing an array of British regional accents. Retailers reported good sales in summer fashions and home outdoor accessories as shoppers got into the summer spirit”

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, adds, "These results are very encouraging and show that London’s West End continues to be one of the world’s greatest shopping destinations. I am using every opportunity I can to promote London and attract visitors to our capital, and it is now clear that our strong commitment to invest in tourism is reaping huge rewards. With London now cheaper than New York and there has never been a better time to visit the West End and get great value on each and every pound."

To drive further UK domestic interest in London’s West End, New West End Company for the first time in history, will be launching a spring May Bank Holiday traffic free day, with Oxford Street turning into a pedestrian oasis between 12noon and 5pm on Saturday 23 May 2009.  To entice families into the area Oxford Street stores with event partner Night at the Museum 2 will put on over half a million pounds of free entertainment and prizes throughout the day. 

Paul James, Commercial Manager, Society of London Theatre, “Theatres across the West End generally had a very good April, with total attendances similar to last year’s record numbers. Easter in particular was very strong: the tkts ticket booth in Leicester Square – the industry’s official ticket shop and a useful barometer of customer confidence – reported sales 6% up on last year for the Easter fortnight, with UK customers – both Londoners and visitors from the rest of the UK – to the fore over the holiday period.”

Matt Chambers, Brand Director, House of Fraser, “As with many other London retailers we are also benefiting from more and more people across the country choosing UK city breaks over holidays abroad. As the spring/summer stock was introduced we ran promotions across all departments; the most successful was Fashion Accessories with £25 off new season handbags.”

Iain Richards, Director of Marketing & Communications, Guoman Hotels, “At the Cumberland and Thistle Marble Arch we have recently seen a significant increase in bookings from UK residents keen to enjoy a West End Weekend break. UK guests are flocking to the West End to snap up some summer bargains from the excellent mix of retailers.”