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Coronavirus brings Europe’s shopping mecca Oxford Street to its knees
- Oxford Street’s reputation as Europe’s premier shopping destination faces its biggest threat in decades amid a flood of store closures
- In a bid to stop the rot, the local council is spending millions on a makeover, including a plan for more pedestrian space and pop-up parks
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Kate Moss brought London’s Oxford Street to a standstill in 2007 when the supermodel posed at Topshop’s flagship store to launch her clothing collection.
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Hundreds of shoppers lined Europe’s busiest retail street, trying to get their hands on the Moss range in the 90,000 square-foot emporium, a retail sensation buzzing with a mix of clothing, food stalls and live DJ tunes.
Now the music has stopped and Oxford Street is once again at a standstill. Topshop closed its doors in January, possibly for good, relegated to an online-only presence under a new owner. A short stroll down the street, Debenhams, a department store with more than 200 years of history, is also closed, as are dozens of other shops. In total, at least a fifth of the stores on Oxford Street are now shut and will not reopen after the Covid-19 lockdown ends, according to the New West End Company, a lobby group for the district.
As UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak prepares to unveil a budget next week that retailers hope will bring more aid for a sector on its knees, Oxford Street’s reputation as Europe’s premier shopping destination faces its biggest threat in decades.
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A flood of store closures and deterioration in the quality of the buildings and public space along the near two-kilomere thoroughfare is being aggravated by lockdown restrictions that are decimating foot traffic and driving more shoppers online.
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