Rarely has there been a great global retail avenue that has fallen as far from grace as the national U.K. embarrassment that is London’s Oxford Street.
Still blighted by multiple highly dubious American Candy stores, an unsightly anomaly that proliferated during the pandemic, and with several of the former key anchor department store groups departed or downsizing, plus a desparate and rightly derided Marble Arch Mound project, the illustrious high street has suffered from paralysis by analysis.
Plans cyclically raised for at least two decades to turn the busy thoroughfare into a pedestrian-only zone have repeatedly been thwarted by a barrier of nimbyism from its well-heeled residents, meaning this central retail artery has succumbed to the naysayers.
And the result has been an unambitious mess that looks hopelessly out-of-time.
So good news then that Westminster City Council – now under a relatively recent change of political hue – has joined forces with the area’s Business Improvement District (BID) New West End Company (NWEC) to offer rent-free stores on Oxford Street to small businesses amid a wider and much-needed consultation on the future of the famous shopping street.
With a public consultation open until August 31, there appears at last to be some political will to try and reenergize the street.
Free Pop-Ups On Oxford Street
Up-and-coming brands, entrepreneurs and creatives who want to launch their first physical store can apply for a location as part of the Meanwhile On: Oxford Street program.
Those who successfully manage to secure one of the spots will be given “a six-month tenancy in a rent free, fully fitted store” and an “over 70% reduction on business rates” according to the organizers of the initiative.
The news came as Westminster Council announced the consultation, pledging a “much-needed facelift” of Oxford Street includes public realm improvements along the entire just over a mile length of the street from Marble Arch in the west to Tottenham Court Road in the east, the latter a vibrant hub for the recently completed Elizabeth Line underground service.
The plans included increasing the amount of pedestrian space, enhancing street lighting and adding more green areas with seating to create a more human feel for shoppers.
That in many ways echoes an initiative by two of the West End’s landlord giants, Grosvenor and The Crown Estate, which have adopted similar approaches in the areas off Oxford Street that they control.
And unlike Oxford Street, the majority of those areas around London’s West End are performing well and continue to attract key domestic and international brands.
Meanwhile, junctions adjoining the street, including at Oxford Circus – which is where Oxford Street and Regent Street meet – will be redesigned to create more space for pedestrians to circulate, while 12 new crossings will be introduced.
West End Reinvention
Westminster City Council’s cabinet member for planning and economic development Cllr Geoff Barraclough said at the announcement: “The West End Constantly needs to adapt if it is to continue to draw shoppers from around the country and around the world. We need to innovate and ensure we can offer a top-class experience for everyone.”
NWEC chief executive Dee Corsi added: “The proposed enhancement of Oxford Street’s public realm infrastructure is part of a bigger, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to regenerate one of the world’s most iconic retail and leisure destinations.
“This partnership between NWEC and Westminster City Council is happening against a backdrop of wider, positive shifts in the market; from the progress of ambitious, multi-use redevelopment projects to the signing of new global flagships, and the return of iconic brands such as HMV.”
Indeed the, music and entertainment retailer which famously used to have a large flagship by Bond Street station, has announced its return to its iconic store for later this year, ousting an American Candy store in a double whammy.
Rent-Free Stores
The rent-free store initiative, which is run by retail placemaking consultancy Someday Studios, comes under Westminster City Council’s wider Fairer Economy agenda, which welcomes new brands to the city’s high streets.
The program also aims to occupy empty spaces previously filled by “low quality occupiers”, the identitiy of which we can guess at quite easily.
“We’re delighted to play a part in helping to shape the future of one of the world’s most iconic retail streets. We can’t wait to see what London has to offer and are excited to help the winners make the most of this incredible opportunity,” said Someday Studios co-founder Becky Jones.
Flexible retail space provider Sook also has an outlet on Oxford Street, which provides low cost space for start-ups and brands to experiment with physical retail.
The not-before-time initiative comes as a number when major retail city destinations around the world struggle to bounce back from the pandemic, notably San Francisco where retailers have left in droves amid plummeting footfall and safety concerns.
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