Record Christmas sales for London Designer Outlet
Wembley Designer Park’s London Designer Outlet (LDO) has reported record Christmas sales, beating out pre-COVID levels.
The outlet saw a year-on-year increase in sales of 32%, up to £10.5m in December. This was 2.6% higher than the same month in 2019, before the Pandemic.
The group said that sales between Christmas and the New Year were particularly strong, with shoppers taking advantage of discounts. Compared to 2021, sales in this period were up 49.5%, and ahead of 2019 levels by 3.6%.
The outlet said its strongest day of trading was Boxing Day, with sales 89% higher than the same day in 2021, which was second only to 2018 when Arsenal played Tottenham at Wembley Stadium.
London Designer Outlet added that revenue was boosted by a trend towards larger and more expensive items, with average transaction value 17% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Matt Slade, retail director at Quintain, LDO’s owner, said: “This has been a record-breaking December in more ways than one, demonstrating the significance of outlet centres as consumers tighten their purse strings amidst the cost-of-living crisis.
“It is encouraging to see that both the month of December as a whole and the period in between Christmas and New Year are the strongest on record, despite a slew of national rail strikes during the Christmas period. It is clear that people are increasingly seeking out greater value to save money on their Christmas shopping.”