Another milestone this year was the launch of our Enhanced Insights Programme. By incorporating Mastercard spending data into our existing programme, we have been able to deliver an upgraded Insights programme including a new dashboard. The dashboard gives members an interactive, granular look at spend, forward flight, hotel occupancy, sentiment and mobility data in the district – enabling businesses to engage more deeply with the trends most relevant to them.This year, we also held our first West End Sustainability Showcase and launched a series of sustainability reports highlighting some of the incredible initiatives happening right here in our district. From Redevco’s green property refurbishment on James Street to Veolia’s decarbonisation efforts, it was fantastic to build on the exceptional work our members and partners are already doing.To further support this year’s charity partner for Oxford Street’s festive lights, we took part in Great Ormond Street Hospital’s 100km challenge for September. As a team, we ran or walked the equivalent of 1,000 Oxford Streets! Each year, GOSH Charity brings the magic of Christmas to children with serious illnesses, and we were thrilled to partner with them this festive season on Oxford Street. Our Destination Marketing team did a brilliant job delivering this partnership, which played a key role in kickstarting the festive season in the district.
As we look ahead to 2025, we are entering a pivotal year and are already preparing for the renewal of our Occupier and Property BIDs, along with the addition of a new Office BID, in November 2025. Our engagement with members over the past six months has been invaluable in shaping our 5-year BID proposal 2026-2031, ensuring it reflects our shared priorities and ambitions.
As a district we remain on track to achieve our £10 billion annual turnover target for the West End by the end of the financial year 2025/2026. International tourists make a significant contribution to this goal, which is why we will continue to lobby for a progressive tourism strategy, that includes the re-instatement of tax-free shopping as a key measure, fully unlocking their spending power.
We are also excited to welcome new additions to the district, including IKEA’s much-anticipated Oxford Street store, lululemon’s relocation on Regent Street and Rolex’s new three-storey flagship on Bond Street.
Together with our members and stakeholders, we remain committed to driving the West End forward, delivering a district where businesses thrive and maintaining its status as a world-leading flagship retail, leisure and hospitality destination.
From all of us at New West End Company, I wish you a wonderful end to the festive season, and a very happy New Year.
