Pedestrianised Oxford Street pulls in 500,000 shoppers

Up to £50m was spent in London’s West End stores on Saturday as 500,000 shoppers took advantage of a traffic-free Oxford Street.

Entertainment was provided in-store and on the street as buses, taxis and cars were barred between 12noon and 5pm. New West End Company said the shopping mecca benefited from the “staycation” trend – where Brits choose to holiday in the UK rather than abroad in order to save money.

New West End Company’s chief executive Richard Dickinson said: “We hope it will give Londoners and those from other parts of the UK a great reason to rediscover the West End – with its fantastic breadth of retail across 600 stores, great galleries, superb shows, restaurants for every pocket and much more besides.”