South Molton Street and Sloane Street have welcomed the most international brand debuts in London, according to results from Colliers International’s Central London Retail Healthcheck Report.
The report revealed that Sloane Street and South Molton Street have each welcomed four debut openings from international brands in the past year. On Sloane Street, Boutique 1; Delpozo; RED Valentino and glasses brand, Oliver Peoples (favoured by A-List celebrities such as Johnny Depp and President Obama) have all travelled from overseas to open their first store on the affluent Chelsea street.
The report found 26 UK debut openings from international brands, plus an additional six British brands that have opened their first stores, across 20 London retail streets over the course of the year.
Paul Souber, Head of Central London Retail Agency at Colliers International, commented: “We’ve seen 88 new openings in London’s West End over the last year alone, which has kept the retail offer fresh and evolving.
“It is interesting to see Sloane Street and South Molton Street recording the most international debuts. The redevelopment of George House on Sloane Street provided an opportunity for overseas brands to reach the affluent Chelsea population, while South Molton Street appealed to a cluster of French brands hoping to benefit from the close proximity to Bond Street.”
Kings Road, in Chelsea was the chosen high street destination for British brands to debut in London with the opening of Elia B and Collier Bristow setting up shop. Following The Kings Road, Dover Street and Oxford Street were the next two most popular destinations, with unconventional openings, demonstrating the West End as a test bed for British retail innovations.
Souber explains: “The Aston Martin lifestyle store on Dover Street and the Dyson showroom on Oxford Street are examples of iconic British brands that have opened a physical retail presence, enabling the brand to communicate with the many potential customers passing by on these popular streets.
“It’s highly likely that in next year’s edition of the report, we’ll have seen more of these types of openings in popular London.
