If we go back in time to the 2012 Olympic Games, London was establishing itself as the El Dorado of
retail
, teeming with brands and atmospheres that were not found on the Old Continent.
At the time, Topshop and Primark were among the local curiosities, as were Liberty and Portobello Market, which remain unique references specific to the British capital.
Since then, the Irish
low-cost
clothing giant
, Primark, has increased its openings in Europe and Topshop was recently acquired by the e-tailer Asos.
The fierce competition, the lack of renewal of the ex-
high street
icon
, his membership in
fast fashion
and finally the Covid-19 led to his bankruptcy.
Many chains suffered a similar fate and closed their stores in the West End.
At the dawn of a new era, London's shopping epicenter and the rest of the city reveal a transformed face.
Read also: London: weather forecast, when to go, Brexit… Le Figaro's practical guide
The case of the West End
Harrods lights up Christmas shopping in London with its famous facade.
Unsplash Dmitry Vechorko
In early March, the mayor of London, Sadikh Khan, announced that he would inject 5 million pounds into the revival of tourism, lamenting the absence of the 11 billion annual expenditure made by travelers in the center.
The most affected artery is Oxford Street, the equivalent of the Champs Élysées, where big names in
retail
have gone out of business, or transformed part of their sales area into offices, as Marks & has done. Spencer.
The New West End Company, responsible for transforming the West End, wants to reduce the district's dependence on
retail
, decongest the center and make it London's first zero-emission transport zone.
An artificial, green and temporary hill will emerge at Marble Arch in July.
This 25-meter facility will host events and offer spectacular panoramas.
The model established in England in the late 1980s by the mass-trade giants was doomed to disappear as consumers changed.
Ross Bailey, Founder of Appear Here
Ross Bailey is the founder of the Appear Here platform, the “
retail
Airbnb
”, which provides thousands of major brands and young entrepreneurs with commercial spaces in London, Paris, New York or Miami.
According to him,
“the model established in
England
at the end of the 1980s by the giants of the mass trade was doomed to disappear, as consumers changed.
Before the pandemic, Hackney, Peckham and the neighborhoods on the outskirts were the most interesting.
The center will now be able to accommodate new and experiential ideas in vacant spaces at more affordable rents.
"
“We're
going to have to help small businesses regain confidence,”
explains Richard Burge, managing director of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
In the West End, some rents are already set based on store turnover.
The government needs to encourage this through tax incentives.
"
The high street takes its independence
Only in London: The ambiance and setting of Portobello Market will always attract strollers and tourists.
Flickr Mark Tominski
“
It will no longer be the multi-billion dollar companies that will hold the upper hand,”
says Ross Bailey,
but hundreds of small independent businesses.
I went to New York for work during the crisis and the city was emptied of its inhabitants, while in London villages I saw a pub become a deli, a restaurant take out, a bakery deliver his bread in a pedal van ... London will recover faster because people have stayed.
"
Online shopping, now anchored in our habits, does not worry him any more and it encourages brands to build up an audience on social networks, in order to attract customers to physical stores.
“
In a world where you can do everything on a screen, we want to go out more than ever, to have contacts.
When we go to a bookstore, for example, we look at what others are leafing through, the bookseller asks us if we have read a particular book and we discover stories with different points of view that we cannot find elsewhere.
This is what we need in stores, individuality.
In the midst of the digital and global air, we are looking for the tangible and hyper local.
"
The folklore and decor of a city cannot be bought online.
Do your Christmas shopping in front of the illuminated frontage of Harrods, discover new designers in the brick alleys of Spitalfields and Shoreditch, glean antique and vintage nuggets between the colorful houses of Portobello Road, meet local producers and artisans in Borough and Broadway Market or try
badass
jewelry
, neck and neck with colorful rockers at The Great Frog ... All this is experienced, on site, in London.
The impact of Brexit
Driven by Brexit, the end of the tax refund for purchases by international tourists risks weakening the shops of the West End.
Credit Unsplash Samuel Pollard
In 2016, tourists could get a good deal because the Brexit announcement had weakened the pound.
But what has happened since January 1, 2021?
“
The Ministry of Finance must resolve the VAT problem,
warns Richard Burge,
so that tourists can once again benefit from the reimbursement of 20% of their purchases.
In fact, for the sake of fairness, since the tax refund which benefited international shoppers cannot be extended to travelers from the EU, it has been completely abolished.
Read also: Brexit: what changes for French travelers
What about Europeans who have come to set up their home or business in London, taking advantage of its creative energy and flexible rents.
Will the capital become less diverse?
“
No,”
says Richard Burge
, “Brexit may leave its mark, but London will remain a global city where people who can earn a living will continue to come and participate in the renewal of the city.
We are used to importing talent from outside, Brexit will undoubtedly force us to look more towards our own diversity and to be more inclusive.
"
Ross Bailey's shopping addresses in London
Ross Bailey, Founder of Appear Here in front of the Supermarket of Dreams.
In partnership with Appear Here, this initiative, born during the coronavirus pandemic, brings together several foodie companies from Notting Hill.
Appear Here
“
Blue Mountain School
, a magnificent concept store on Chance Street in Shoreditch.
To the northeast, in Stoke Newington,
The Clarence
pub
on Church Street
is amazing with its little deli.
I like to have a coffee and a babka at
The Good Egg
and stop by
Search & Rescue
, a nice decoration store.
Next door on Shacklewell Lane,
Oren
is one of the best Israeli restaurants I've been to outside of Tel Aviv.
To the south, Deptford is starting to develop, it's very interesting.
There's the
Watergate
, a cocktail and natural wine bar, a great bakery,
Bread and Butler,
and the
Deptford Market Yard
which has independent restaurants and shops. ”
