Shoppers to spend £2.5bn in London’s West End during Christmas

Some 42 million shoppers from the UK and abroad are expected to visit London’s West End, including Bond, Oxford and Regent Street, over the eight-week Christmas trading period.

And after a tough year of retailer failures and low consumer confidence, brands will be happy to hear that the area will get a multi-billion pound boost during the festive season, according to New West End Company. After reviewing spending patterns from the year to date, the business organisation said spending across London’s retail heartland will match last year’s spend of £2.5 billion.

The signs are optimistic: international sales across the West End have increased by 12% in the year to date, providing some support that favourable exchange rates for shoppers from the US, China and the Middle East will help insulate the district from what is expected to be a challenging Christmas period.

A number of West End only experiences, including John Lewis’ Winter Carnival and Hamleys’ Santa’s Grotto, plus the new digital lighting scheme on Oxford Street, are expected to draw large crowds.

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