West End footfall set for strongest year since 2020, HOLBA finds

London’s West End is on track for its busiest year of footfall since 2020, according to a report from Heart of London Business Alliance (HOLBA) and property firm Colliers, following a sharp rise in visitors through October.

Visitor numbers in October were up 16% on the same month last year and 22% on September, when tube strikes affected travel. Analysts say October patterns often signal festive season performance, indicating a potentially strong trading period for businesses across the district.

The Heart of London area – covering Piccadilly, Jermyn Street, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Haymarket and St Martin’s Lane – is currently 2.9% ahead of the same point in 2024.

The area continues to benefit from what the report calls a robust “experience economy”. International visitor share rose by 5.6% in October compared with last year, while average dwell time increased by 24 minutes to around two and a half hours.

A series of new openings are expected to add to the appeal. Recent additions include Leicester Square’s first ice rink, what is described as the West End’s largest sports bar, a new Moxy hotel on Piccadilly Circus, and further hotel launches from Criterion Capital under its Zedwell brand.

The Heart of London area makes up 12% of the wider West End and is valued at £12.8bn to the UK economy. It attracts more than 83 million visitors each year and supports over 117,000 jobs.

Ros Morgan, chief executive of Heart of London Business Alliance, said: “The figures so far show there is good reason to be optimistic about one of the year’s most important trading periods. We’re hopeful the West End’s never-ending appeal can deliver the much-needed boost to our businesses and the economy.”

Paul Matthews, head of strategy and analytics in Colliers’ One London team, added: “Christmas performance is always an eagerly awaited bellwether for retail and leisure businesses and the October figures for the West End are very encouraging. 

“This year we expect to see dwell time and spending increase as people visit to soak up the festivities driven by the new ice rink, the Christmas market in Leicester Square, and the iconic flagships of Lego, Lindt and Fortnum and Mason, amongst others.”