We have welcomed the Metropolitan Police Service’s intensified focus on the criminal networks driving organised retail and phone theft in the West End.
October marked an important step-change in the force’s approach to tackling retail crime – now seen as a strategic priority at both local and national level. Operation Zoridon, the UK’s largest ever crackdown on organised shoplifting gangs, is a testament to this renewed commitment, and I was privileged to witness it first-hand, in the briefing room, alongside Crime and Policing Minister, Sarah Jones MP.
Looking ahead to the festive season – the busiest and most crucial trading period for our members – our forecast signals continued appetite for the West End as the best destination to celebrate Christmas. While international spending over the festive period is predicted to be up 1.9% year-on-year, domestic spend is likely to go up by 0.9%. Overall, our predictions show year-on-year growth of 1.3%, reflecting the district’s resilience against a challenging economic background.
In a recent op-ed for the Standard, I stressed that next month’s Budget offers a timely opportunity for the Government to truly back British businesses. Two reforms are central to this: an exemption for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses from the new ‘super tax’ higher business rates multiplier; and, in the absence of tax-free shopping, the creation of a new, modern proposal that restores the UK’s competitiveness in the global visitor market.
The narrative around our tax-free shopping campaign has shifted. We are now focused on creating a new scheme that influences international behaviour, works for business and pays back to Treasury. Working with partners across retail, hospitality, tourism and culture, we are building a credible, evidence-led proposal that demonstrates how a reformed international visitor scheme could drive growth, investment, and job creation across the whole of the UK’s visitor economy. This is not about reinstating past schemes, but about designing a fair, transparent and Treasury-trusted model that secures the UK’s position as a world-class shopping and visitor destination. You can read more about it here.
The Mayor of London’s plans to revitalise Oxford Street through the creation of a Mayoral Development Corporation are well underway. In October, the Greater London Authority appointed the two architecture practices leading on the delivery of major public realm improvements in and around Oxford Street, including its pedestrianisation. We are committed to continuing to work closely with all partners as plans evolve, to ensure we unlock the true potential of Oxford Street and the wider West End.
We are now only weeks away from the start of our formal ballot process, starting on 14 November. Your vote will secure £60 million of dedicated investment for the district, ensuring continued delivery across our core priorities: safety and operations, destination marketing, powerful data insights, and strong advocacy for our members.
As part of this exciting chapter, we will welcome for the first time the West End’s office community – reflecting the district’s evolution into a dynamic, mixed-use destination where offices, shops, restaurants, leisure and culture come together in one of the world’s most exciting urban environments. It will also allow us to align existing services with local offices’ needs, ensuring office workers feel part of the community through exclusive offers, well-being initiatives and training opportunities.
This BID renewal offers us an exciting, collective opportunity to jointly shape the future of the West End over the next five years, securing its future as world-leading, dynamic destinations. On our campaign website, we’ve set out a clear pathway to do just that – you can read more about how we achieve that shared vision here.
Warmest regards,
Dee Corsi, Chief Executive
SECURITY & OPERATIONS
On 7 October, the Metropolitan Police Service announced the takedown of a major organised crime network, suspected of smuggling up to 40,000 stolen phones from the UK to China over the past year. Codenamed Operation Echosteep, this is the third phase of Operation Reckoning, which began in January and is the UK’s largest operation to date targeting mobile phone theft and robbery. The scope and ambition of this operation mark a significant shift in policing tactics. As a trusted local partner, we are supporting the Metropolitan Police through our 24/7 security patrols and, behind the scenes, via intelligence sharing and continued lobbying for additional resources. Together, we are working to ensure the West End remains a safe and welcoming destination for all.
New West End Company’s Security & Operations Manager, Akin Shodeinde, attended the National Association of Business Crime Partnerships (NABCP) Conference 2025, which took place on 9 October in Birmingham. This is the UK’s main event for Business Crime Reduction Partnerships, bringing together policing, BIDs, and industry experts to share best practice and discuss national developments in tackling business crime. The conference provided useful insight to help shape New West End Company’s ongoing crime reduction strategies, as we work towards becoming an accredited Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP).
On 10 October, Akin Shodeinde was joined by Nitu Kashap, manager of New West End Company’s 24/7, on-street security team, for our first-ever, in-person members’ intelligence meeting. Usually hosted online, this month’s session offered a unique opportunity for members to meet and exchange insights face-to-face. A special thank you to all those who were able to attend the session.
As part of New West End Company’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the safety and well-being of women and girls in the district, we are working with retailers to signpost support networks for victims of violence and abuse. If you are a retailer, hospitality or leisure operator who would like to be involved and display one of our information posters in a private space, such as a changing room or toilet, please get in touch with Akin Shodeinde, New West End Company’s Security and Operations Coordinator at [email protected].
Across a two-week period in October, our Security and Operations team ran a covert operation to monitor suspicious behaviour, theft and hostile reconnaissance across the district. The security team deployed undertook bespoke behaviour detection training, and worked with a number of member security leads to share real-time intelligence.
New West End Company’s Chief Operating Officer, Lucy Mitchell, attended the National Police Chief’s Council’s Integrated Policing and Private Security (IPPS) roundtable on 14 October, to discuss how greater partnership working between the public and private security sectors can be leveraged to tackle complex crime challenges across the country. Attendees heard from representatives from the British Transport Police on ongoing private security initiatives, including learnings and plans for future activity.
Jamie Conroy, New West End Company’s Head of Security and Operations, attended the latest Central London BIDs Forum on 14 October. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Louise Puddefoot from the Metropolitan Police Service joined the session as a guest speaker, providing an update on the ‘New Met for London Phase 2’, as well as shift in focus and tactics on retail crime.
On 24 October, Lucy Mitchell attended the launch of Operation Baselife – a new initiative by the Metropolitan Police Service which will see enhanced visible policing in the West End. The West End has already seen its policing team grow significantly with the addition of 80 officers to its dedicated team earlier this summer. We are proud to act as a key local partner, complementing the Metropolitan Police Service’s on-street efforts with our 24/7 security team.
CAMPAIGNING AND ADVOCACY
New West End Company hosted an evening reception at the Conservative Party Conference, bringing together industry partners and key political stakeholders – such as guest speakers Councillor Paul Swaddle (Leader of the Opposition, Westminster City Council) and Assembly Member Emma Best (Deputy Leader, City Hall Conservatives). We used the platform to spotlight the priorities of our members, including reforming business rates and tackling retail crime. We will keep making the case for a seat at the table, ensuring that the policies shaping flagship high streets like the West End are informed by those who know them best.
We continue to move forward with our new, joint campaign to introduce a modern, digital VAT-free shopping scheme – one that provides much-needed relief for businesses, whilst providing a boost for the Treasury. Earlier this month, we held a targeted briefing with a small focus group in the West End to further build out our evidence base, and what is next in terms of engagement with the Treasury on this issue. We look forward to sharing more updates in due course.
New West End Company has welcomed the recent announcement of the Home Office’s intention to grant police broader powers to restrict repeat protests based on cumulative impact. In a letter addressed to the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood MP, our Chief Executive, Dee Corsi, urged the Government to explicitly include the business community in how this impact is assessed – stressing the significant operational disruption in flagship high streets destinations like the West End, and the ability of businesses to trade safely and securely. She also called on the Government to ensure that the National and International Capital City (NICC) Grant continues to provide sufficient funding to meet the unique policing pressures faced by central London. Read her letter in full here.
As we look ahead to the Autumn Budget in November, New West End Company’s Chief Executive Dee Corsi contributed an opinion piece in the Standard calling on the Government for an exemption of all retail, leisure and hospitality providers from the new ‘super tax’ business rates multiplier. She highlighted our festive forecast figures (more detail below) as a a worrying bellwether for a Government which has made the health of UK high streets a key barometer for success. The West End alone generates 3% of the UK’s economic output – the Government can’t afford to undercut its success, especially at Christmastime.
INNOVATION & INSIGHTS
Fresh data from our Insights team shows that festive spend is expected to contribute up to £1.7bn to London’s West End economy across November and December – a 1.3% rise in sales compared to the same period in 2024. The analysis draws on year-to-date performance, trends observed in the previous year, forward flight bookings to London, and current consumer sentiment – which, despite ongoing economic instability and stubborn inflation, continues to improve. Domestic sales are forecast to grow by up to 0.9% over the festive period, with international spend predicted to see up to 1.9% growth year-on-year. Read the report in full here, or as reported by the Standard.
Our recent on-street Visitor Survey clearly demonstrate the continued appeal for the West End: demonstrated by enhanced customer sentiment, with both ‘satisfaction’ and ‘loyalty’ scores up, and planned visits increasing by almost a third compared with last year. These insights, which you can access via our Insights Portal, reflect what we see every day – confidence in the West End experience, and a continued appetite to visit, shop and spend time here.
New West End Company data revealed that the Mayor of London’s landmark public event, ‘This Is Oxford Street’, which took place on 21 September, delivered a significant boost to the local economy. Footfall in the area 45% higher than the week before, and nearly 67% of stores reporting similar or higher sales than a typical Sunday. Leveraging these insights, we will continue to work with our members, the Mayor of London, Westminster City Council and the wider West End community to realise the full potential of a reimagined Oxford Street.
DESTINATION MARKETING
The Oxford Street website had a spooky season takeover this month, with a bespoke Halloween gift guide showcasing all the best fancy dress, sweets treats and decorations available to transform your home in a haunted house.
Our Christmas campaign for Oxford Street has begun! For 2025 we are delighted to once again be partnering with the wonderful team at Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity to help support its mission to bring Christmas to children in care over the festive season. Coverage of the partnership has already been secured in Time Out, The Londonist and Secret London.
To make the most of this special time of year, Christmas gift guides are now also live across the Oxford Street website. To be included, please contact Ellie Keswick, New West End Company’s Destination Marketing Manager at [email protected].
As part of our Destination Marketing activity over the festive season, we are preparing to host three US journalists across November and December, ensuring that we remain front of mind for American tourists. Each journalist will be treated to a tailored itinerary, and get to experience the very best of our festive offering across Oxford and Bond Street. If you would like participate in future press trips, please get in touch with our Head of Destination Marketing, Danny Sullivan at [email protected].
To support our Bond Street members, we are happy to be once again working with our luxury concierge partners to host a private client event during the festive period. Shoppers can expect exclusive offers and bespoke experiences which allow them to engage with brands in new ways. If you would like to be involved in this, or future private client events, please contact Francesca Thesen, our Campaigns and Content Manager at [email protected].
At the start of November, we will be launching a 7-week festive advent calendar on the West End Club. Each Monday, a set of exclusive festive offers will be added to the app, driving ongoing engagement and building excitement for our West End community throughout the festive season. If you would like to have a brand offer included on the app as part of our Advent Calendar, please contact Sharon Salawu, our Loyalty and Partnership Projects Manager, at [email protected].
EVENTS
On 2 October, we were delighted to host our annual breakfast event – the West End Festive Update. Attendees heard from Rachel McCulloch, New West End Company’s Associate Director of Marketing & Insights, as she shared key plans to support members during the peak season, including the iconic lighting schemes on Oxford Street and Bond Street. Rachel also touched on anticipated consumer trends, market movements and key performance drivers ahead of the festive period, so that businesses are best equipped to deliver the exceptional West End experience visitors expect.
Jamie Conroy, our Head of Security and Operations, then walked members through Operation West End, a four-week uplift in targeted security and cleansing activity across the district; and Danielle Purnell, our Head of Partnerships, shared details on our upcoming ballot and the BID renewal, including key dates, the voting process and our five-year plan, which you can read in full here.
Our Security & Operations team is delighted to invite members to our new weekly drop-in sessions. Taking place every Thursday, from 10 am to 12 pm, this is an opportunity to meet our security team face-to-face, raise any concerns and share areas of priorities. If you’d like to attend one of the session, contact Akin Shodeinde at [email protected].
IN THE DISTRICT
To celebrate the festive season, Diptyque will transform its Ephemeral Space at the Bond Street Maison into an exclusive Gifting Atelier until 13 January. Customers are invited to personalise their presents with Ex-Libris stamps, wax seals and tissue papers – giving each gift a sophisticated bespoke finish and unforgettable touch. The boutique is also hosting a series of festive, gifting experiences across November and December – read more about the full offering here.
In October, British travel brand Antler unveiled plans for its first standalone UK store, following its rebrand in 2023. Set to open doors at 100 Regent Street in early 2026, the flagship follows the success of a pop-up activation in Selfridges last year. Situated on the southern end of Regent Street, Antler will join other global British brands Burberry and Mulberry in its premium retail positioning.
We are delighted to welcome Neom’s new global well-being hub on Regent Street. The store will serve as the brand’s London flagship and marks a key milestone in its global expansion, coinciding with its 20th anniversary this year. Isabel Malbois, Chief Executive at Neom, highlighted the strategic importance of Regent Street as a world-class destination. “As a proud British brand, it reinforces our commitment to continued growth in our home market”, she commented.
News
