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Battersea Power Station continues to attract visitors from the GCC region with its blend of globally renowned luxury brands like Chanel Beauty, Rolex, Ralph Lauren, Jo Malone London, and Mulberry, alongside high-street favorites such as ZARA, M&S, Uniqlo, Nike, and Mango.
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Quintessentially British holiday experiences such as skating at Boots presents Glide at Battersea Power Station, meeting Father Christmas at Santa’s School for Elves, exploring festive markets, and large-scale decorations, made Battersea Power Station an unmissable destination for tourists during the holiday season.
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Battersea Power Station recorded strong performance during November and December 2024, with double-digit growth in sales and an 11% rise in footfall compared to the same period in 2023. Since the Power Station opened in October 2022, the iconic destination has welcomed over 26 million visitors, cementing its status as a global attraction.
Dubai, UAE-: Festive sales at retail, leisure and cultural destination, Battersea Power Station in London, increased by 13.4% in November and December 2024 and footfall grew by 11% compared to the same period in 2023, as the riverside neighbourhood celebrated its best Christmas to date. By the end of 2024, Battersea Power Station had welcomed more than 26 million visitors since the Grade II* listed Power Station and Electric Boulevard, the neighbourhood’s pedestrianised high street, opened to the public in October 2022.
The landmark’s reputation continues to grow as a must-visit destination in London for both Londoners and international tourists, particularly those from the GCC region who appreciate a blend of world-class shopping, family-friendly activities, and great dining options.
A visit from His Majesty King Charles III on 12th December 2024 was immediately followed by Battersea Power Station’s busiest week of the year for sales, from 16th – 22nd December, demonstrating how the landmark has become a popular festive shopping destination.
The area’s appeal to the GCC market was evident through the exciting mix of British culture and Christmas-inspired offerings. From skating on the riverside ice rink, Boots presents Glide at Battersea Power Station, to exploring Christmas markets and enjoying traditional festive treats, the activities were designed to deliver a quintessentially British holiday experience. In addition, the opportunity to meet Father Christmas at Santa’s School for Elves added a magical touch for visiting families.
Notable new brand openings such as % Arabica, alongside global names like Chanel Beauty, Rolex and Ralph Lauren, reflect the destination’s appeal to affluent shoppers from the GCC, offering a unique blend of luxury retail within an inspiringhistoric setting. The Power Station also draws attention with British favorites like ZARA and Uniqlo, ensuring that visitors from the GCC can find both exclusive and everyday items.
Fashion performed particularly well in lead up to Christmas, growing 11.7% on a like-for-like basis in November and December 2024, while jewellery and accessories sales increased by 13.3% and beauty transactions jumped by 11.2%, compared to the same period in 2023.
Demonstrating visitors’ inclination to indulge at Christmas, Vagabond Wines sold over 1,304 cheese fondues in December. This crowned another successful year for the growing and diverse food and beverage offering at Battersea Power Station with Wright Brothers shucking 300,000 oysters and El Pastor serving 80,583 tacos throughout 2024. Battersea Power Station is also home to the UK’s first tashas, the much-loved café concept which has restaurants across the UAE.
A collaboration between Apple and multi-award-winning animation studio, Aardman, saw everyone’s favourite duo, Wallace & Gromit, come to life on the Power Station’s river facing facade and iconic chimneys, as they decorated two colourful Christmas trees 1,992 times between 1st – 25th December 2024.
It wasn’t just the shops that drew visitors – Battersea Power Station’s events calendar was packed with activities. Alongside the Boots presents Glide at Battersea Power Station ice rink were live performances including carols from the Battersea Power Station Community Choir, the family-friendly Santa’s School for Elves, which welcomed over 3,958 little ones during the festive period, and a series of Christmas markets from The King’s Trust, Salad Days and Curated Makers championing independent businesses within the historic turbine halls. Completing the ultimate festive day out, visitors enjoyed the 150-plus shops, bars, restaurants and leisure venues now open across the neighbourhood.
The non-stop line-up of over 25 large-scale events and more than 100 brand activations hosted throughout 2024 attracted record visitors to Battersea Power Station across the year. Highlights included the inaugural celebrASIA festival celebrating Southeast Asian heritage and culture, LBTY. Fragrance’s debut pop-up, Aperol’s Aperidisco with DJs and yoga classes, IWC Schaffhausen’s immersive space celebrating its partnership with Lewis Hamilton and Arcade Food Hall’s takeover of The Coaling Jetty.
The highest week for footfall in 2024 was between 29th July – 4th August, as tourists and visitors made the most of summer activations which included The Battersea Games and the official Paris 2024 Team GB and ParalympicsGB Fanzones in Power Station Park.
Bespoke cultural collaborations with Claire Luxton and POoR Collective brought artistic flair, while more than 19 new retail and leisure openings such as El Pastor, M&S’s first stand-alone clothing store, Sticks ‘n’ Sushi and Blank Street Coffee’s café and pop-up truck, further enhanced Battersea Power Station’s all-encompassing offering.
Looking ahead to 2025, Battersea Power Station’s annual Light Festival will return from 23rd January – 23rd February.
An exciting line up of new British and international brands are also set to open in early 2025, including children’s clothing brand Lindex, On Running, R.W. Wolf barbers, Diptyque, Heartcore Pilates, Watch House coffee shop, Salomon, The Salad Project and Bizzy Me children’s activity centre. NEON at Battersea Power Station, Central London’s first-ever purpose-built entertainment and cultural exhibition space will also open in Spring 2025.
Sam Cotton, Head of Leasing and Asset Management at Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC), said:
“The extremely strong Christmas trading period we enjoyed at the end of last year underlines Battersea Power Station’s increasingly established position as one of London’s must-visit shopping and leisure destinations. We have worked hard to create a mix of brands, food and beverage offerings and activations that appeal to everyone, and this is reflected in the double-digit growth in both sales and visitor numbers during the 2024 festive period.
“As we look to 2025, we have an exciting line up of new openings and events such as our Light Festival which will launch shortly, the return of celebrASIA and further cultural activations to celebrate Wandsworth being this year’s London Borough of Culture. At the same time, we will continue to look forward and plan for the development of the future phases of this fantastic regeneration project, with half of the 42-acre site still to develop. Battersea Power Station will continue to offer a unique blend of culture, community spirit and world-class shopping and leisure experiences, which will attract visitors from London and from further afield.”
With its own Zone 1 London Underground station, Battersea Power Station is within 15 minutes of the West End and the City and draws visitors from across the capital and the globe. Battersea Power Station is also easily accessible via the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers river bus service, bike, train and on foot.
