Live performances boost sales at Wembley Park and London Designer Outlet

A summer of global live performances has given businesses in Wembley Park a major boost, with Ed Sheeran superfans beating fans of Harry Styles, Coldplay, Westlife and Foo Fighters in driving sales and footfall during performances at Wembley Stadium.

Matt Slade, retail director at Quintain, said the return of large, live events at Wembley Stadium and OVO Arena Wembley had resulted in an exceptionally strong summer for trading.

‘Sheerios’ spent 667,005 pounds throughout the neighbourhood and London Designer Outlet (LDO) during the Shape of You Star’s gig on June 25, 16 percent more than the 574,166 pounds Harry Styles fans spent during his gig on June 18.

The company said in a release that footfall too was 25 percent higher during the red-headed rocker’s performance compared to Styles’.

In third place were Westlife fans, who spent 543,472 pounds across the 15-minute neighbourhood and LDO on August 6. The 90s boyband were followed by Coldplay connoisseurs, who collectively spent 516,642 pounds during the Yellow stars’ gig on August 13.

The company added that Foo Fighter fans spent a combined 449,306 pounds during the epic Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert, 14.9 percent less than Coldplay’s. However, Foo Fighter footfall was 14.4 percent higher by comparison.

Sheeran’s sway over shoppers even beat that of pop icon P!nk, whose fans held the previous record after her Wembley Stadium performance in June 2019 drove a 586,922 pounds trading surge. The Spice Girls also played that same month, with fans spending 552,422 pounds throughout Wembley Park and LDO.

Matt added: “Despite consumers tightening the purse strings, we’ve had a blazing-hot summer of trading across Wembley Park and LDO. While the impact of large-scale events at Wembley Stadium is undeniable, trading and footfall throughout summer has remained consistently high.”

Set in Wembley Park, the entertainment district and 365-day neighbourhood, London Designer Outlet is one of only a small number of outlet centres in Europe that blend retail, F&B, leisure and events in an easy-to-reach urban setting.