Figures released by Network Rail show total train station retail sales for the festive period grew by 9% this year.
The figures, which span 18 November to 23 December, suggested a growing desire for convenience retail, Network Rail said.
Station retailers saw a total of over £110m in sales during the busy period with gifting and food outlets performing best, suggesting that shoppers were turning to stations for last-minute gifts, supermarket shopping, and pre-Christmas dining.
Across the same period, 105 million people visited Network Rail’s stations and one in three (31%) of these station users entered a retail outlet.
The highest growth stations in London were Paddington (+42%), Euston (+12%) and King’s Cross (+12%), with five stations in total recording double-digit growth. Meanwhile, Manchester Piccadilly (+9%) and Bristol (+7.4%) were the best performers outside of the capital.
Hamish Kiernan, commercial director of retail, Network Rail, said: “Our station retailers have enjoyed a very successful Christmas with like-for-like retail sales increasing by 3%.
“This achievement isn’t by chance, our investment in stations and our diverse, high-quality retail offer is directly linked to our retail performance and customer satisfaction, both of which are growing. Gone are the days when our stations were only used for catching a train, they are now also destinations of choice for shopping, dining and socialising.”
