As reported in London’s Evening Standard, The New West End Company and Heart of London Business Alliance are predicting that London’s west End will enjoy a major boost to retail and other trading following the conclusion of the massively successful Olympics.
Those in the hospitality sector who lost business during the Olympics will certainly welcome a return to ‘business as normal’ – or better.
The return of Londoners to work, the return of shoppers from the Middle East, the effects of all the positive publicity as London at its best was showcased to billions of viewers, all combine to indicate positive growth over the coming months and years.
New store openings will also attract attention and publicity, and include: Victoria’s Secret and Burberry opening flagship stores in September, Primark’s biggest store on Oxford Street, Alexander McQueen on Savile Row, and Oscar de la Renta’s first European store on Mount Street.
Daniel Astaire, chairman of the West End Partnership, said:
“It will be the cue for London to attract international events and conferences like never before. Visitors from both here and abroad are going to come back in numbers to stay in hotels, eat in bars and restaurants and go to the theatre.”
Visitors Report 100% Satisfaction with Olympic London
A survey of shoppers in London’s West End found they were all without exception enjoying their visit. 99% of them were hoping to visit London again at some stage in the future, reinforcing the belief that the Olympics has demonstrated the attractions of London to a worldwide audience.
The respondents – the majority of whom (87%) were from overseas including France, Germany, Italy, Spain & USA – said that they are enjoying London’s entertainment most of all, closely followed by the shopping. Two thirds of visitors also said they were enjoying the food, reporting that it is exceeding the expectations they had before their visit.
Three quarters of the visitors also said that London had surprised them in some way: the most common factor mentioned was the weather, and the warmth of welcome and friendliness of the British people.
The informal survey of 200 shoppers was carried out by New West End Company and Heart of London Business Alliance in association with VisitBritain, in response to concerns that visitors were staying away from the shops and London’s more traditional tourist attractions in favour of visiting the Olympic Games.
Jace Tyrrell, New West End Company, commented:
“We’ve always known we have a strong retail and leisure offering, with 211 retailers choosing to locate their global flagship stores in the area. But this outstanding recognition really shows the fantastic appeal London’s West End has for visitors. We have more international brands than ever before…alongside an unrivalled entertainment offering of renowned theatres, casinos, cinemas, Michelin starred restaurants and entertainment like M&M’s World flagship store and Ripley’s Believe it or Not!”
For the full Evening Standard article click here