Footfall in London’s West End was up 5.6 per cent year on year for January, according to the New West End Company.

Oxford Street, which welcomed the opening of American Apparel’s flagship in December, achieved strong footfall, up 9.7 per cent year on year.

American Apparel UK general manager Brent Chase said: “Opening on Oxford Street was a no-brainer for American Apparel, as these figures show there is no shortage of footfall and the customer offering is very diverse.”

The results defy the national drop in high street footfall, which was down 8.9 per cent. A New West End Company spokesman said: “January footfall was strong, with West End retailers reporting respectable retail sales from both domestic and international shoppers as recent figures show that visitor levels from Russia, China and India continue to grow exponentially.

“Luxury retailers reported strong sales, particularly in jewellery, with some of our best-known flagship stores, including Selfridges and John Lewis on Oxford Street, also confirming that January performance was good.”

The run of flagship store openings appears to be helping to drive domestic traffic. Alongside American Apparel, Nokia opened its flagship on Regent Street, as did fashion house H&M. Gap’s Banana Republic is also scheduled to open on March 20.

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