How London’s Oxford Street went from famous shopping destination to a ‘national embarrassment’ filled with tacky sweet shops
- Watches of Switzerland boss says more must be done to revive Oxford Street
- Brian Duffy claims tacky candy shops have replaced household names on street
London’s famous Oxford Street has been branded a ‘national embarrassment’ by the boss of a leading British retailer.
Brian Duffy, the chief executive of Watches of Switzerland, said there was ‘no question that more needs to be done’ to revive the West End shopping destination.
His comments come after tacky American candy shops have replaced household names like Topshop on the world-renowned street.
Mr Duffy said: ‘Oxford Street is a problem. I would almost describe it as a bit of a national embarrassment.
‘In terms of importance, it’s probably the biggest victim of lockdown and what happened in retail, the demise of Arcadia group and department stores like Debenhams.’
Concerns have been raised about the proliferation of garish candy shops on Oxford Street and trading standards officers have seized more than £1million worth of fake goods including counterfeit Rolex watches.
London’s famous Oxford Street has been branded a ‘national embarrassment’ by the boss of a leading British retailer
It comes after tacky shops have replaced long standing store on the world-renowned street
The street used to be known worldwide as a shopping destination. Pictured: Christmas shoppers outside the John Lewis department store
The street has now become home to several American sweet shops
READ MORE: How London’s iconic shopping destination has transformed with dozens of stores now lying empty
Watches of Switzerland owns a showroom on Oxford Street across the road from department store Selfridges.
Mr Duffy said action should be taken to bring a ‘higher standard’ of businesses to the area. On nearby Regent Street – which is owned by the Crown Estate – there has been ‘more aggressive and successful landlord behaviour’, he said.
Although Oxford Street is still ‘hugely popular’, its range of stores is ‘not optimising the status of the street and traffic’, Mr Duffy added.
Topshop’s flagship store near Oxford Circus station closed in early 2021 after the demise of Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia retail empire. The House of Fraser’s department store also shut shop in January 2022 after more than a century at the location.
Some big names are set to move into the area soon – Ikea will open up at the former Topshop site while HMV will reopen its old flagship store on Oxford Street after a four-year absence later this year.
Mr Duffy is not the first leading retail chief to lambast the state of Oxford Street. In April, Marks & Spencer boss Stuart Machin said London was losing its competitive edge to rival cities.
Watches of Switzerland owns a showroom on Oxford Street across the road from department store Selfridges
Department store Selfridges has been an iconic and well-known part of the street for decades
A Primark store opened up on Oxford Street some years ago
Well-known brands such as Topshop have been replaced on the street
Mr Machin blamed a government move to axe VAT-free shopping and a ‘proliferation of tacky candy stores’
‘The high street which is meant to be the jewel in London’s crown today is a national embarrassment, with a proliferation of tacky candy stores, antisocial behaviour and footfall remaining in the doldrums’ Mr Machin said
Mr Machin blamed a government move to axe VAT-free shopping and a ‘proliferation of tacky candy stores’.
He said: ‘The high street which is meant to be the jewel in London’s crown today is a national embarrassment, with a proliferation of tacky candy stores, antisocial behaviour and footfall remaining in the doldrums, 11 per cent down on pre-pandemic levels.’
He added: ‘It pains me to see our great city like this. For too long now it has been on life support.’
Oxford Street will be given a facelift from next autumn with plans to inject £100million into pedestrian access, greenery and better lighting.
Work on the project, which is a joint effort between Westminster City Council and business group New West End Company, is expected to finish in spring 2026.
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