Shoppers avoid central London

The second wave of bomb attacks reduced the number of shoppers in central London by more than a quarter compared with this time a year ago, it emerged today.

High street sales within the congestion charge zone had recovered to stand just 10.1% down after the first explosions on July 7, according to retail tracking agency SPSL.

But the new blasts disrupted the transport network and planned shopping trips, with SPSL figures showing that 26.9% fewer shoppers entered central London yesterday compared with a year ago.

Dr Tim Denison, a director of SPSL, said: “The most fundamental question we must now ask is whether shoppers will no longer consider the July 7 attacks as a one-off event but as part of an ongoing threat.

“If they do, then it is likely that consumer recovery will be very much slower as a result.”

Shopper numbers slumped 74.1% on the day of the first explosions a fortnight ago so the decline yesterday was not as bad, the SPSL data showed.

But Mr Denison added: “The fact that the latest attacks were not at rush hour and not at prime shopping locations will also remove many shoppers’ subliminal justification.

“For instance they may have persuaded themselves that if they travel at such a time or in such an area they’ll be safe. This might not now be possible which is not good news for London or its retailers.”

A spokeswoman for department stores group John Lewis said its stores on London’s Oxford Street and nearby Sloane Square were “very quiet” yesterday afternoon as shoppers stayed away.

Figures released by John Lewis showed that sales were down 8.3% during the week to July 16, with Oxford Street turning in the worst performance except for its Cambridge branch which has been forced to relocate temporarily.

The trading performance across its estate of 26 stores was not as severe as a week earlier when sales dropped 11.7%.

However, the spokeswoman said issues such as the introduction of the new £8 congestion charge may have exacerbated the decline at its flagship Oxford Street branch where sales fell 18.1% over the past week.

Hot weather might also have dissuaded many shoppers from travelling to the city and the figures would have been further distorted by the fact that the company began its clearance sale earlier this year, she said.

But trading at its Waitrose supermarket chain was significantly better with like-for-like sales more than 10% higher than a year earlier.