Mayor of London and Outernet Welcome International Brands to Help Reinvent the West End
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, met with some of the world’s most exciting international retail brands at the West End’s new immersive media and culture district, Outernet London as part of efforts to attract innovative retailers to the capital.
The group of 16 retail and consumer brands have been selected based on the West End’s plans to introduce an exciting wave of retail concepts and experiences as it looks to recover from the pandemic. Leading brands joining the trade mission include Fable, a sustainable tableware company from Canada; Project Chaiwala, a tea company from the United Arab Emirates; and Naze Naze, a homeware brand from China owned by Chinese luxury fashion house ZucZug.
The Mayor of London (centre) with the West End team and Philip O’Ferrall, Outernet's President and CEO (far right)
According to a recent report from The New West End Company, the West End continues to bounce back strongly following the pandemic, with year-to-date sales in the district increasing by 109% compared to 2021. Spend in 2022 is also outperforming footfall year to date, and sales remain on track to exceed £10bn by 2024. With the launch of the Elizabeth Line, a new railway network that will bring an extra 1.5 million people to Central London, the West End will see an additional spend in the area with up to £800m sales into the district by 2031.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:
“The West End is a historic and hugely important part of our city, welcoming thousands of visitors daily and home to some of the best shops, restaurants, and theatres in the world. Helping the West End to bounce back from the pandemic is a crucial part of the wider London recovery, so it was great to meet today with this group of new and innovative retail brands as they explore investment opportunities to us help us build a better, more prosperous London for everyone.”
The programme kicked off on Monday 17 October with a total of 16 brands with a large international audience taking part. Alongside Fable, Project Chaiwala and Naze Naze, other brands include Art Current (Hong Kong), an art gallery that promotes the artwork of local Hong Kong artists to an international audience; Il Sarto (Hong Kong), a luxury tailoring company; Miniso (China), an innovative lifestyle retailer; Serai Group (Malaysia), a family-run hospitality company; Palace Butcher (Malaysia), a food and beverage company specialising in premium meat; Tanamera (Malaysia), meaning ‘red earth’ in the Malay language, which focuses on tropical spa treatments; Siti Khadijah (Malaysia) a modest fashion brand.
Recent new store openings in the West End include Gymshark, a fitness apparel brand opening its first physical store on Regent Street towards the end of October. The Hook, a unique art gallery retail concept, recently opened its flagship London store in Seven Dials. As well as Deliveroo, the online delivery app opened its first brick-and-mortar grocery store on New Oxford Street.
The area is also seeing rapid growth in its leisure offering with the upcoming opening of Outernet London, opening in November, and Frameless, London’s first and the UK’s biggest permanent digital immersive art experience, which opened at the end of September.
Philip O’Ferrall, Outernet Global President and CEO, said:
“The West End has always been one of the most vibrant and dynamic areas in the whole of London. Along with that, the incredible diversity of people that visit, work and live here made it the perfect home for the very first Outernet district. We will create moments and events that bring people together, that excite and delight them, that look to the future whilst celebrating the creative and musical heritage of this corner of the West End and Soho. Outernet will be a force for both cultural and commercial good, increasing footfall in the area to the benefit of other businesses, bringing live music back to Denmark Street, and providing the most cutting-edge digital experiences for the public to enjoy.”
