Adoring Harry Styles fans sparked a business boost for shops and restaurants at Wembley Park and London Designer Outlet ahead of the former One Direction heartthrob’s sold-out gigs at Wembley Stadium.
Total sales across the world-famous 15-minute neighbourhood and the capital’s leading premium fashion and lifestyle outlet destination soared by 76 per cent last weekend compared to the overall average for each weekend throughout May.
London Designer Outlet (LDO) alone reported a sharp spike in footfall in the run-up to Styles’ shows on Saturday and Sunday, with the figure sitting at over a third higher (36 per cent) compared to the May weekend average.
Sales at sports and athleisure brands at the outlet climbed by nearly two-thirds (64 per cent), mixed fashion by a third (33 per cent), health and beauty by 24 per cent and accessories and gifts by 18 per cent. Outdoor brands enjoyed a 24 per cent lift in trade, with Trespass selling out of raincoats and tents as concert-goers lined up to waterproof themselves against the weekend’s dreary weather.
Hospitality businesses also received a much-needed boost, with sales at LDO up by 10 per cent throughout the weekend compared to the previous month.
The superstar’s sway on shoppers came weeks after celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee saw a bumper trading weekend for LDO and Wembley Park, during which thousands of revellers descended on the neighbourhood for a Jubilee Dance Party. On Saturday, June 4, footfall at LDO – the capital’s leading premium fashion and lifestyle outlet destination – peaked at 90 per cent on Saturday June 4 compared to the same time a year earlier.
The substantial trading update comes ahead of red-headed rockstar Ed Sheeran taking to the stage of Wembley Stadium for five nights. Starting this weekend, hundreds of thousands of Sheeran superfans will flock to the iconic venue, with Wembley Park and London Designer Outlet anticipating a similar surge in footfall and sales ahead of the singer’s performances.
Matt Slade, retail director at Quintain, said: “The positive impact that the return of large-scale, live events at Wembley Stadium is having on businesses across Wembley Park and London Designer Outlet is genuinely a Sign of the Times.
“Having already enjoyed a right royal weekend for the Queen’s Jubilee Celebrations, Wembley Park and LDO are poised for a bumper summer of trading.
“Despite economically turbulent times, visitors continue to flock back to in greater numbers than 2019 to enjoy the unparalleled combined retail and leisure offer set within this dynamic and diverse 15-minute neighbourhood.”
Set in Wembley Park, the globally famous entertainment district and 365-day neighbourhood, London Designer Outlet is one of only a small number of outlet centres in Europe that blend retail, F&B, leisure and events in an easy-to-reach urban setting.
Retail and leisure destinations like London Designer Outlet, which is managed by the UK’s specialist outlet operator Realm, have consistently outperformed broader physical retail throughout the pandemic, attracting guests with their compelling mixture of high quality at low prices, an open-air design, and a mix of designer and high street fashion as well as places to eat and drink.
Part of the retail and leisure mix within Wembley Park, the multi-billion-pound neighbourhood was transformed by developer Quintain. London Designer Outlet became the first outlet centre to open in the UK capital in 2013, experienced 22 consecutive quarters of year-on-year growth by September 2019, and is benefitting from several advantages that put it in an excellent position to benefit from the post-pandemic retail landscape.
As an urban outlet centre in Wembley Park, it benefits from approximately 9 million people living in its catchment area and thousands of people living within Wembley Park. Excellent transport links enable visitors to reach Marylebone within nine minutes, Baker Street within 12, and King’s Cross within 19.
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