Triathlon drives shoppers to West End

Despite suffering an 11.7% slump in footfall on the first Saturday of the Games, the beginning of this week saw a boom in shoppers in west London as footfall increased 13.5% year-on-year.

But at the same time East London saw a drop off in shoppers as footfall fell 8.3%.

On Monday visitors to east and west London were down 2.5% and 2.7% respectively.

A spokeswoman for Experian said: “Most notable here is the impact of Tuesday’s Triathlon event which took place in and around West London’s Hyde Park.

“Footfall outside of the Olympic Park was clearly diverted to the event where spectators didn’t require a ticket to witness historic victory for the Brownlee brothers and subsequently dispersed into nearby shops.”

Last week New West End Company, which represents retailers in the West End, embarked on a campaign using social media and marketing to lure shoppers to the West End after trading was “quieter than anticipated” across the first week of the Olympic Games.

Some retailers with stores in London, including The Entertainer, Hotel Chocolat and Next, reported a sales fall rather that the boost that had been expected by some on the first weekend of the Games.

A New West End Company spokesman said the campaign helped encourage footfall to the area. He said: “There is definitely a London-wide realisation that you can get into London and visit the parks, while it is known from other Olympic events that trading picks up in the second week.”