New west end company news and archive

West End Boxing Day footfall 44 percent below pre-Covid levels

Boxing Day footfall in London’s West End on Sunday was 44 percent lower than the same day in 2019, prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. Compared with the previous week, footfall was down 16 percent as concerns continue to mount over the fast-spreading Omicron variant. Jace Tyrrell, the chief executive of New West End Company, which represents...

27 Dec 2021

Retail

UK retailers disappointed over Government Covid relief package

The Government’s proposal to give struggling leisure and hospitality sectors a one-off grant of 6,000 pounds has left the retail industry cold. The 1 billion pound financial support scheme fails to support the retail industry as businesses continue to struggle in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Experts were critical of the announcement as...

21 Dec 2021

Retail

London's West-End prepares for influx of tourists and spending

London is set to welcome a surge in tourism and spending according to forecasts from the New West End Company (NWEC). NWEC represents over 600 businesses in the London’s West-End and expects spending to increase from 5.5 billion pounds to 7.5bn pounds in 2022. According to the Evening Standand spending will be on track to return to pre-pandemic...

19 Aug 2021

RetailFeatured

London’s West End launches pop-up programme to entice new talent

London’s West End is launching a pop-up competition to give small scale businesses, homegrown start-ups and emerging creative talent the opportunity to open their doors at the iconic shopping destination. Launched by Westminster City Council in partnership with New West End Company and The Crown Estate, the programme also aims to attract...

1 Jun 2021

Retail

New West End Company calls for urgent government support

As retail reopens in England and Wales, the New West End Company, which represents London’s West End shops and hospitality venues, is calling on the government to offer urgent target support to help businesses recover from what it calls the “devastating impact of successive lockdowns”. New West End Company, which represents 600 businesses across...

12 Apr 2021

Retail

Regent Street launches Traffic Free Saturdays

West End retailers are looking to boost weekend footfall in the run-up to Christmas with the launch of a series of Traffic Free Saturdays that will ban traffic from Regent Street in central London. On Saturday, December 5, 12, and 19, Regent Street will offer traffic-free shopping, banning all cars, buses and taxes between Oxford Circus and...

1 Dec 2020

RetailFeatured

New Government scheme to end tax free shopping for UK visitors

The UK Government this week announced tax free shopping in the UK as we know it will end on 31st December this year. All overseas visitors will no longer be able to obtain a VAT refund on items bought in the UK and take home in their luggage. Furthermore, UK airports will no longer be able to offer duty free items on fashion, accessories and...

15 Sept 2020

RetailFeatured

New campaign urges UK Government to extend tax-free shopping to EU visitors

A campaign launched by New West End Company urges the UK Government to extend the tax-free shopping system to EU visitors when the UK officially leaves the European Union on December 31st. The decline in international visitor numbers to UK cities continues with devastating impacts on the fashion and retail industries. In a letter to the HM...

21 Aug 2020

RetailFeatured

London's West End urges more government action, warns 50,000 jobs could be lost

The New West End Company (NWEC) is calling for more clarity from the government concerning post-lockdown measures, and for tax-free shopping for European tourists, warning that without such actions the area faces a huge drop in sales and jobs. The company, which represents 600 businesses in affluent shopping areas in London such as across Oxford...

16 Jul 2020

RetailFeatured

London's West End sees increase in Christmas footfall

Despite a challenging Christmas trading period across the UK, London’s West End reported an increase in footfall of +1 percent in the weeks leading up to Christmas (29 November 2019 to 26 December 2019) according to data from New West End Company, representing over 600 retail and leisure businesses in London’s West End. Artjom Hatsaturjants,...

27 Dec 2019

Retail

Black Friday sales to grow 9 percent in West End

Black Friday weekend sales are expected to grow by 9 percent year-on-year, despite declining footfall, according to the latest insights from the New West End Company, which represents 600 businesses across London’s West End. Although the multi-year trend of declining footfall on Black Friday is expected to continue due to low consumer confidence...

25 Nov 2019

Retail

London’s West End to get 2.5 billion pound Christmas boost

Over the eight-week Christmas trading period, shoppers are expected to provide a 2.5 million pound boost to London’s West End, according to the latest insights from New West End Company, which represents 600 businesses across the area. The business partnership reveals that 42 million shoppers from home and abroad are expected to visit Bond,...

18 Nov 2019