LDO reports strong summer trading boosted by Back to School shopping

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Sep 7, 2017

Back to school purchases, experiential events and tourists helped lift retail sales and footfall at London Designer Outlet in Wembley Park during the school summer holiday.

According to the shopping centre, footfall rose by 3% compared with the same six-week period last year, while total revenue was up 4.7% year-on-year. Fashion, sports and footwear contributed to the growth with sales up 9% on the previous year.

On a like-for-like basis – excluding stores that opened during the year such as Converse and Dr Martens - sales increased by a strong 7%.

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“Trading at LDO is always strong towards the end of the holidays for students of all ages preparing for the new academic year. Outlet shopping means guests at LDO can buy the same for less, or make the same money go further. Guests know that the shoes in Clarks, backpacks in North Face and essentials in Marks & Spencer represent the best value at outlet prices,” said Sue Shepherd, LDO Realm centre manager.

The mall benefitted from the rise of tourists visiting the capital for a shopping spree, as confirmed by the 41.5% rise in tax-free sales in the year to date. Of non-EU visitors, some 22% were from China, including Taiwan and Hong Kong.

A programme of experiential events also boosted the summer trading performance. LDO hosted a “Summer Garden Party” featuring live music, free strawberries & cream, a massive, over-sized ‘selfie’ deckchair and daily activities for children.

The shopping centre expects footfall to continue rising this year to reach 7 million, of which 65% are predicted to be ABC1, and 89% under 55 years old.

Top brands with a presence at the outlet centre include Nike, Kurt Geiger, Superdry, Guess, H&M, Gap, Lee Wrangler, Dr. Martens, Vans, Converse and Hamleys.