Marks & Spencer chief executive Stuart Rose (bottom right) played a leading role, along with Arcadia owner Philip Green (top left), John Lewis chairman Sir Stuart Hampson (top right) and Selfridges supremo Paul Kelly (bottom left). The idea was backed by the New West End Company, London mayor Ken Livingstone and Visit London.
The street will be closed to traffic for the two-day event, which is provisionally scheduled for the weekend of September 24. The festival is the culmination of Everyone's London, a month-long multimillion-pound promotion by Visit London in the wake of the July bombings.
Green said: 'It's important to get people back into town.' A John Lewis spokesman said: 'We need to keep reminding people of the strength of the offer in the West End. We support this promotion wholeheartedly.'
Central London retailers would generate typical sales of£280 million a day in July, but on Monday the London Retail Consortium reported a 9 per centsales slump in central London that month.
According to customer traffic monitor SPSL, central London shopper numbers were down by 14.9 per cent for the week beginning August 7. SPSL director of knowledge management Dr Tim Denison said: 'We are seeing a sustained trend in day trippers and tourists being put off visiting London's shops, particularly at weekends and Thursdays.'
An ICM poll for Retail Week showed a quarter of people have been put off visiting central London by the July outrages and nearly half believe stores should search shoppers' bags on entry.
No comments yet