Retail boss lashes out at criticism of Oxford Street

OXFORD Street is being unfairly stigmatised by a ‘misleading’ and ‘undermining’ narrative, a leading retail boss told The Mail on Sunday this weekend.

Britain’s most famous shopping destination has been receiving negative news coverage recently. There have been reports about tacky candy shops and shoplifting encouraged by social media platform TikTok. There has also been attention focused on homeless people in shop doorways.

But Dee Corsi, who heads the New West End Company which represents hundreds of Oxford Street’s businesses, insists that candy stores make up ‘less than 1 per cent’ of trading space.

She said the road will be ‘radically reimagined’ thanks to the arrival of new retailers including HMV and Ikea. Shoe brand Kurt Geiger has also recently opened a store in the road.

Oxford Street is on the up after Westminster City Council signed off the first round of funding for a £90 million revamp to redesign crossings and pavements and introduce more greenery.

Corsi admitted Oxford Street has been blighted by the same problems as many high streets across the country – including rising numbers of vacant premises, the costof-living crisis and shoplifting.

She added: ‘Each of these issues alone would represent a significant challenge. But conflating some of the biggest issues facing the UK with the overall desirability of Oxford Street only results in a misleading narrative that undermines the exciting transformation currently under way.’

A return of music seller HMV to the mile that stretches between Tottenham Court Road and Marble Arch towards the end of the year represents ‘perhaps the most symbolic victory’, she added.

‘The much-maligned candy store which sat under the iconic “His Master’s Voice” sign is gone and, inside, the music giant is preparing to open its doors once again,’ she said. The store will host live gigs and signings by musicians.

The New West End Company is among the business groups urging Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to scrap the hated tourist tax and reinstate VAT-free shopping for tourists from abroad.

More than 400 business leaders have backed The Mail’s campaign to abolish the levy.