Shoppers are heading to Central London streets to get presents this year, with an improvement in footfall in the West End area defying the general national trend.
During the week leading up to Black Friday, which is the fourth Friday of November, the number of shoppers increased by 9% compared to 2024, according to data released by the New West End Company (NWEC). This momentum extended with a 4.1% rise during Black Friday week and a further 6.2% increase the following week.
Due to the conversion of Regent Street into a visitor-only space and a live performance on Oxford Street, the weekend of December 6 and 7 was also very busy. NWEC stated that this period showed “real momentum.” This contrasts with the national picture, where the Office for National Statistics indicated that retail sales fell unexpectedly in November.
Black Friday first appeared in the United States and has been widely adopted by many stores in the United Kingdom. It has become the biggest shopping day of the year, and for many, it marks the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season.
“Next weekend is still expected to be one of the biggest weekends as people come in who may have waited until the last minute to buy presents and extra items like linens for their guests,” said Rosie Hanley, Media Director at John Lewis.
The New West End Company (NWEC) said the car-free event on Regent Street boosted footfall by more than 33% compared to the previous year, while the following day, which featured live performances on Oxford Street, saw a 25.1% increase.
“Both events included festive street activations, offers, and in-store experiences, which attracted the public and consequently increased the number of shoppers by nearly a third over the weekend,” the spokesperson said.
On Oxford Street, one woman told the BBC that she and her husband had planned a special shopping day. “John Lewis for coffee, then Selfridges, and we’ll have roast lamb for lunch,” she said. “We won’t stop the conversation, breakfast, and shopping.”
Others said they had finished the bulk of their Christmas shopping at the beginning of the month. “Not entirely at the last minute,” one man said. Another man added that he likes to leave his shopping until the week before Christmas to “get into the spirit”—but he would do it all in one store.
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