Americans in London

Brooks Brothers. A/X. Apple. Guess. Anthropologie. Banana Republic. Gap. And now Victoria’s Secret. Where? Well, at a guess you might say 5^th Avenue or maybe one of the larger US malls such as King of Prussia or maybe Dallas’ NorthPark.

But this is part of the tenant list for Regent Street and you have to wonder what’s happening. Why do American retailers making landfall in the UK seem to view this single London street as the most obvious destination to set up shop?

There is a growing sense when you walk its length, from Oxford Street to Piccadilly Circus, that you have in fact strayed into a little piece of the US and that the UK and Continental retailers are bit players (perhaps a little unfair, but we’re talking perception).

The question is why is this the case?

And the answer seems reasonably straightforward. Rents here may be among the UK’s highest, but this street has a profile quite unlike any other in Europe. If you want to say that you’ve arrived in Europe, this is the place to do it and there is even an argument that its fame outstrips neighbouring Oxford Street, principally owing to the fact that it’s an altogether better-looking proposition where the external architecture is of a piece throughout, giving an effect like, say, Bath’s Royal Crescent.

No surprises that it’s a prime destination then, but why are there so few home-grown acts that have chosen to call it home, other perhaps than the recent appearance of GIve?  It’s beginning to look as if Regent Street has morphed into a little piece of England that is forever devoid of UK retailers — well, at least a meaningful number.

All of which makes this sound like a bad thing. It’s not and the equally interesting thing is how much more glamorous — Selfridges notwithstanding — the whole of Regent Street is when set against it’s lacklustre cousin.

This may have much to do with ambient architecture, and of course it does, but it is equally to do with the sophistication provided by the high VM standards that are almost the norm for US retailers.

Oxford Street can never really expect to match up to the million-dollar sensation of a walk along Regent Street, but it could do an awful lot more than it does currently and the arrival of Victoria’s Secret will only serve to sharpen the contrast.