Tuesday, December 6, 2011

One Shopping Day around Hotels in Westminster Can Make Your Vacation Memorable

MEDIA RELEASE PRESS ENQUIRIES: Delia Hyde or Lizzie Boylan Ward - RAIN UK 00 44 (0)20 7222 4345/07831 810 690/07876 225 893 OVER 1.5MILLION SHOPPERS ARE EXPECTED TO CELEBRATE A TRAFFIC-FREE VIP DAY IN LONDON’S WEST END TODAY Saturday 1 December, 2008. Today over 1.5million shoppers are expected to flock to London’s West End as Oxford Street and Regent Street went traffic free for Shop West End VIP Day (which stands for Very Important Pedestrians). Shoppers enjoyed having the streets to themselves, making the most of the £1million worth of free entertainment and the incredible offers available throughout the stores. By 11am West End retailers were reporting the busiest first hour’s Saturday trading witnessed over the last six months. The discounts of up to 40% are likely to make history for 2008 and shoppers were taking full advantage, with 500 shoppers queuing outside Gap on Oxford Street for the Gap Red Limited Edition Collection. One shopper, Linda Euston from Hertfordshire, said she planned to do all her Christmas shopping by the end of the day and expected to save up to £300 on her Christmas gift bill. Shoppers appeared to be defying the crunch with fashions and fashion accessories selling particularly well across many of the 600 shops. Male shoppers, who are more typically known to defer Christmas shopping until Christmas Eve, were also out in force citing the stress free and traffic free streets as the incentive to come in rather than the sales. This is the fourth Shop West End VIP Day, in previous years the event served to get tills ringing and kick start Christmas trading. 2million shoppers are expected to attend throughout the weekend, as family focused entertainment will also run throughout Sunday, which will not be traffic free. Today the roads were traffic free from 10.30am until 6pm transforming the streets into a stage for the incredible entertainment that took place throughout the day. Appearances from jazz musician Jamie Cullum, a fantastic pop-up Australia movie experience plus live music, circus performers and spectacular stunts culminated in a breathtaking, floodlit acrobatic display with show-stopping fireworks over Oxford Circus. Cash tills were ringing continuously as shoppers snapped up bargains, enjoying complimentary chilled champagne and other treats in stores while they made the most of the unprecedented discounts available exclusively for Shop West End VIP Day. The West End’s 600 retailers rolled out the red carpet for the 1.5million shoppers. The recently launched West End Sales Watch www.westendlondon.com/sales <http://www.westendlondon.com/sales> drove shoppers to the day with some flying in from Europe for the weekend. Selfridges’ on Oxford Street confirmed that their tax free shopping results show that spending by customers from America went up more than 68% compared to 2007 for the week ending on Saturday 29 November. And figures, tracked from Saturday 30 November, indicate that the trend is continuing with Americans spending over 55% more than last year, even ahead of the weekend – traditionally the highest spending time in the retail week. The West End has already seen a +6% increase in shoppers over the month of November compared with the previous year and West End footfall has outperformed the rest of the UK for the past three years as the strength of the dollar and the euro has boosted the fortunes of West End retailers with an increase in oversees shoppers. Over the six week festive period, London’s West End attracts 40 million shoppers spending £1billion with 20 per cent from overseas and 21 per cent from elsewhere in Britain. Richard Dickinson, CEO of New West End Company said: “It’s amazing that Shop West End VIP Day has such a reputation that people are flying in from Ireland, France, Italy and Spain and even the US to attend. But of course Londoners were out in full force today, making the most of having the West End traffic-free. The day has been a great success for retailers and shoppers alike – with shoppers enjoying both the incredible offers available across the stores and the buzzing atmosphere, with retailers getting a boost to their Christmas trading.” Boris Johnson, Mayor of London said: "Today has shown how much people simply love the West End experience and once again our retailers have done a fantastic job in showcasing this great shopping destination to the world." Sally Chetterjee, Interim CEO of Visit London said: "Once again the West End has proved itself to be an amazing shopping experience for visitors and Londoners alike. VIP day is a great and compelling initiative as proven in the thousands of people that packed Oxford and Regent streets today." Cllr Colin Barrow, leader of Westminster City Council, said: "This weekend the magical feel of the West End at Christmas has really been able to shine through, unhindered by the noise and congestion of traffic. Along with the array of free entertainment, the family atmosphere has been thoroughly enjoyed by shoppers and tourists, as well as the 40,000 local residents whose support is essential to help make this special weekend such a success." Michael Sharp, Deputy Chief Executive of Debenhams, said: "This year's Traffic Free Day has proved to be a huge success yet again with Debenhams customers. With the extension of our hugely popular Christmas event including fantastic offers and reductions, the number of savvy shoppers through the doors has been greater than ever." Christine Watts, Selfridges Communications Director said: "Being able to shop in a traffic-free Oxford Street has become a part of the run-up to Christmas that customers clearly enjoy and welcome. There was a great atmosphere and we had a very good day." Anita Borzyszkowska, Vice President of PR for Gap and Banana Republic said: "We were thrilled with customers response this morning, we had 500 shoppers queuing outside Gap's flagship store, waiting to buy products from our limited edition Gap Red Collection. The mood on the street is very buoyant and people seem very excited about the prospect of shopping if the experience is made special for them." Chanel de Kock, Brooks Brothers, said: “There has been a great atmosphere throughout the day and it really is a great opportunity for shoppers to explore Regent Street when the streets are for pedestrians only. We find that shoppers are more relaxed, and of course the pre-Christmas frenzy of buying gifts is so much more pleasant without traffic. We had many shoppers purchasing from our gift selections table, which included knitwear, pajamas, and luxury gifts such as leather travel kits and accessories like cashmere scarves and gloves. We always welcome VIP days in our area.” Anne Pitcher, Selfridges’ Buying and Merchandising Director says: “It’s good to see our American customers enjoying the current exchange rate. They’ve been shopping with us all year, but with the recent fall in sterling they are spending much more on high-end fashion, accessories and jewellery. They are also spending record amounts on Christmas food, treats and gifts.” The event was organised by New West End Company in partnership with the West End’s retailers and property owners, the Mayor of London, Westminster City Council, Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police, Visit London and Heart 106.2. London’s West End has over 600 shops, 176 flagships, 100 personal shoppers, 40 theatres and more than 2,000 bars and restaurants. For further information visit www.westendvip.com. - ends - FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, INTERVIEW REQUESTS OR IMAGES, PLEASE CONTACT: RAIN UK – DELIA HYDE OR LIZZIE BOYLAN WARD ON 00 44 (0)20 7222 4345 OR EMAIL: LIZZIE.BOYLANWARD@RAINCOMMUNICATIONS.CO.UK Notes to Editors: More Information on New West End Company: New West End Company is a company dedicated to driving forward London’s West End as the world’s top shopping destination. With a £34m budget until 2013 it is supported and run by major retailers and property owners in Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street. New West End Company ensures the ongoing commercial success of the area by promoting the district, delivering street management services, funding public realm projects to improve the shopping environment. It is a leading partner in the biggest regeneration programme of London’s West End in its history. Find out more at www.newwestend.com. 200 million visitors travel into the West End each year. Of these visitors 25% are from overseas and a further 21% are from outside of London. Oxford Street was named best destination in the Visit London awards 2007.  Great search results, great prizes. BigSnapSearch.com Search now <http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/117442309/direct/01/>

“Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping”. If you are a shopaholic you can definitely agree with this statement. Yes, shopping can make everyone happy if done at the right place.

London city is a hub for best shopping destinations of the world. Travellers visiting London can explore many of the great shopping areas in heart of the city. One of the most prominent areas is around Westminster tube station of London. Travellers can enjoy at markets in this area while staying at hotels in Westminster. Let us highlight some of the best shopping hubs around Westminster:

Cardinal Place

Cardinal is a great shopping venue in Victoria where travellers can find all the leading brands under one roof. This shopping mall has some of the best clothing stores, footwear outlets, accessory stores and more. Topshop, Marks and Sparks, Zara and Hobbs are some of the famous brands available.

Erickson Beamon

Located in Victoria, Erickson Beamon is trendy jewellery store near Westminster tube station. It offers stunning masterpieces designed by famous jewellery designer Erickson Beamon. Travellers can also find designs made by designers like Erik Halley and Sarah Harmanee.

Lock & Co. Hatters

Lock & Co. is a unique showroom that offers exclusive range of headwear products for ladies and gentlemen. Travellers can find variety of unusual hats including riding hats, formal hats, tweed hats and more.

Les Senteurs

Fragrance lovers can check out a wide range of perfumes at Les Senteurs. If smells and scents are something you desire then the collection at this shop are worth sniffing. Here, tourists can find contemporary as well as classic perfumes including Serge Lutens, Frederic Malle, Amouage, Isabey and more.

So, bring out the zeal for shopping at the best shopping destinations to experience the unusual happiness achieved by spending money. Shopping areas around hotels in Westminster are perfect place to feel contented.

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