Chancellor ‘misses a trick’ by not re-introducing tax-free shopping for overseas tourists November 17, 2022 West End business leaders have slammed the Chancellor for not changing his mind on an introduction of VAT free shopping for overseas tourists. Despite calls from luxury retailers this month, Jeremy Hunt made no mention of the prospect of introducing tax-free shopping for overseas visitors making trips to London’s shopping heartlands. Last month, Hunt announced [...]
West End Christmas intake to be squeezed by pandemic and cost of living at £1.55bn November 3, 2022 West End Christmas intake is set to be a quarter up from last year but still almost 30 per cent down on pre-Covid levels. Around £1.55bn is set to be splashed out in the heart of London’s shopping district, as the capital bounces back from the pandemic in a restriction-free Christmas. The cost of living [...]
Value of West End landlords’ assets dented by economic volatility November 1, 2022 West End landlords Shaftesbury and Capital & Counties Properties have had the valuations of their portfolios dented by economic turbulence in the last few months. The London-listed Shaftesbury, soon to be merged with neighbour Capital & Counties, posted an update about its first summer of trading not disrupted by Covid measures since 2019. Its portfolio [...]
Exclusive: Seven Dials Market boss says ‘Brexit means we are short-staffed for every shift, every day’ October 27, 2022 Brexit has “absolutely screwed” the food industry after it “ripped away” its labour source, according to the boss behind the West End’s popular Seven Dials Market. Businesses at the food and drink destination are facing staff shortages “for every single shift, every single day,” Simon Mitchell, who heads the street food market operator Kerb, exclusively [...]
MPs slam ‘short-sighted and incredibly damaging’ tax-free shopping u-turn October 24, 2022 Cross-party MPs have warned that a u-turn on tax-free shopping for overseas tourists is “short-sighted and incredibly damaging” as the tourism sector hopes to recover post-Covid. In a new report, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee said Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s u-turn was hindering the sector. The committee said it felt the government was [...]
Exclusive: West End bounces back with rush for fresh office space October 20, 2022 The West End has come roaring back to life after firms committed 1.2m sq ft of office space in the third quarter. A race for space is also heating up, with the post-pandemic renaissance of the capital’s shopping heartland seeing prime rents for offices soar 6.5 per cent in the past year, data from Knight [...]
VAT free shopping U-turn ‘major blow’ for West End as tourists shun London for Paris and Milan October 17, 2022 Scrapping VAT free shopping for tourists is a “major blow” for London and the country’s economy, a group representing luxury stores in the West End and other retail hotspots has said. Paul Barnes, chief executive of the Association of International Retail (AIR) – whose members range from Bicester Village to Heathrow Airport – told CityA.M. the [...]
West End has 109 per cent sales boost but retail leaders call for ‘urgent’ business reform October 10, 2022 West End retailers are calling for fresh support and radical reform to help continue their pandemic recovery. The organisation representing 600 outlets and hospitality firms in Bond St, Oxford St, Regent St and Mayfair announced the district is returning to pre-coronavirus levels, but that it still needs help to stop it faltering. The New West [...]
Luxury retailers to push for tax cut acceleration ahead of coronation September 25, 2022 Luxury retailers in the West End are eager to elevate the shopping destination among its global rivals by appealing for tax changes to be accelerated. After the Chancellor suggested VAT-free shopping could boost the retail heartland from 2024 last week, the Association of International Retail said could be introduced in the next six months. The [...]
Gymshark to open doors of first physical store on London’s Regent St next month September 7, 2022 Gen Z sportswear retailer Gymshark is set to make its venture into physical retail this autumn, revealing the opening date of its Regent St flagship. The online brand is to open up shop at 165 Regent St on Saturday 1 October, after huge success over the last few years. Gymshark store on Regent Street will [...]