How the West End was won

The New West End Company, the Business Improvement District for the West End of London, celebrated its tenth anniversary last night, and there was a fair turnout of retailers there to toast its work, including House of Fraser boss John King and M&S retail director Steve Rowe, alongside representatives of the property and political worlds. It’s been good that although landlords aren’t compelled to contribute to BIDs, they do voluntarily in the West End and that helps avoid resentment among retailers that they’re simply being charged an additional rates levy which ultimately will inflate property values and rents.

NWEC does a very good job of shouting about its work, but there’s no doubt it’s been a success. Despite my scepticism, the diagonal crossing at Oxford Circus has proved a success, and working with the Crown Estate, the environment of Regent Street has improved beyond recognition. There’s been a lot of co-ordinated effort to attract overseas shoppers too, which has been a real growth area and helped the West End prosper while retail elsewhere in the UK has struggled.

Last night it outlined some interesting future plans, including the intriguing suggestion of two-speed walking lanes to separate dawdlers from people who want to get somewhere, which sounds like a great idea to me. Crossrail and the Olympics present a lot of opportunity for West End retail but will also cause a fair bit of disruption which NWEC will have a key role co-ordinating the response to.

I always judge the success of the West End on whether my suburban relatives are coming back in and shopping. For the most part, they remain wedded to Bromley and Bluewater, yet when they get to the West End they tend to be pleasantly surprised.

The challenge is the getting there - the key stations at Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road are a disgrace and going to be paralysed by building work for ages, while the line of buses down the street seems as intractable as ever. This isn’t such an issue for foreign shoppers who see the West End as a must-visit while in London, but there’s still masses of potential to go for if the experience in the West End’s shops can be replicated in all aspects of a visit. Over to you Boris.