First tenants to open as part of Westminster’s landmark Oxford Street initiative
Four new shops are preparing to open on Oxford Street and the surrounding area as part of a landmark project by Westminster Council to welcome new and upcoming brands to the iconic shopping street.
The Meanwhile On project was set up to provide prime location shops for new brands at reduced rents, using vacant spaces on Oxford Street and some units formerly occupied by low quality businesses.
The three-year project by Westminster City Council will help set up each brand in a prime location with significant relief on business rates, a budget for store design, and support and mentoring from project delivery partner Someday Studios.
Since the campaign was announced last year, over 800 applications have been received from new businesses.
Now, the first wave of new brands is set to open on the famous street.
These include CANVSS, a custom footwear brand, which will open in a unit a short walk from Bond Street Station. The brand has an impressive roster of customers, with its products having been worn by the Ed Sheeran, the Euro 2022-winning Lionesses squad, as well as England’s Gareth Southgate, Harry Kane, and Phil Foden during the 2022 World Cup.
Due to the high volume of applications, some brands have been given the opportunity to open in the wider Westminster area.
One such business will be sustainable luxury chocolate brand Love Cocoa, set up by James Cadbury, the great-great-great-grandson of the original Cadbury founder. The chocolatier will open at 36 South Molton Street in the autumn.
Already open this month at 31 Brook Street, is luxury Irish linen brand Kindred of Ireland which has taking over the space from Barakat gallery.
Finally, classic British knitwear brand Hades, which has been worn by the likes of Alexa Chung and Tilda Swinton, will launch in the same location at the start of September, completing the first of the four businesses to launch.
Councillor Geoff Barraclough, cabinet member for planning and economic development at Westminster City Council, said: “We set up our Meanwhile On initiative in a bid to tackle the number of vacant stores and poor-quality offerings. With a huge number of excellent businesses applying, I’m delighted that these first brands are kicking off the project – showcasing innovation, quality, creativity and sustainability.”
“By supporting these new small businesses with reduced rent and business rates and promotional and operational support – in the heart of London’s West End – we hope this provides them with a platform for growth and contributes to the diversification and rejuvenation of our high streets, especially Oxford Street.”
Becky Jones, co-founder of Someday Studios, added: “When the campaign launched last year, we were blown away by the level of public support and the huge number of high-quality applications we received – from celebrity-backed social enterprises and fast-growth digital brands, to beautiful small-batch craftsmanship. Oxford Street really means something to Londoners, and as the project develops, we’re looking forward to diving deeper into what, and who, our future streets should be for.
“With the right support, we truly believe these first brands can become the next retail superstars, and we’re delighted to help them open their doors onto a global stage for the first time.”