Media centre

Wednesday 16 May 2018

New retail openings at London Bridge station are a recipe for success

Region & Route:

National

• Bob’s Lobster and Comptoir Libanais improve choice of station dining
• The Book Shop, Urban Express and Greggs expand on-the-go offer
• Openings form part of £1bn redevelopment of London Bridge station
• Retail offer establishing the station as a destination in its own right

Customers at one of the country’s busiest railway stations will soon be able to enjoy a greater choice of dining and on-the-go shopping brands – with a range of exciting restaurants and stores to open at London Bridge in the coming months.

Independent retailer Bob’s Lobster will be one of the first to open its doors later this month. The seafood specialists will make London Bridge its first permanent home in May having built up a successful business serving food from an adapted VW Camper Van. It will join other smaller retailers, such as South African food and drink store The Savanna, which is already trading in St Thomas Street.

The station’s bustling dining offer will be further complemented by restaurant Comptoir Libanais who will open in the autumn.

London Bridge also saw the recent opening of a brand new retail concept in Urban Express, which offers products from premium UK brands, including wine, ready meals, books and much more. The Book Shop and high street favourite Greggs will join the station in May and July respectively, and further cater for the increased consumer appetite for on-the-go shopping.

The announcement comes hot on the heels of the station’s official opening by His Royal Highness Prince William last week.  It also follows a previous string of recent retail openings and announcements. In February, Network Rail confirmed the addition of a number of high street brands including Ted Baker, Rituals, Cath Kidston, Hamleys, and the Body Shop – with four of the five already trading on site.

Hamish Kiernan, Commercial Director of Retail for Network Rail Property, said:

“At Network Rail we work in partnership to create modern railway stations that are also destinations in their own right - places for people to shop, eat, socialise and travel. At London Bridge we’ve taken this ethos and our expertise to produce a great station environment and we are working to match that with a retail offer that exceeds people’s expectations.

“Retail and dining forms an important part of this experience, and we’re proud that these exciting brands will be coming to the station. We always aim for our stations to include a diverse and eclectic mix of retailers, food and beverage outlets that our customers want.”

The £1bn redevelopment of London Bridge station, part of the Thameslink Programme, includes a range of improvements including a huge new concourse, modern facilities, two new entrances on Tooley Street, and 15 fully accessible platforms. It will also see 92,000 sq ft of new retail space and more than 70 retail units – the most ever in a Network Rail station.

With customer satisfaction rising up to 81.5% between Autumn 2016 and Autumn 2017, London Bridge’s regeneration is delivering value from its investment and improving the customer experience.  The aim is to further improve the overall station experience.

Network Rail will continue to release more details about its exciting retail offer at London Bridge station as brands come on board, with announcements still to be made on major food and beverage brands, and further high-profile retailers.

All profit Network Rail makes from retail activity is invested back into the railway to reduce public subsidy.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. Our managed stations

National stations	London stations
Birmingham New Street	Cannon Street
Bristol Temple Meads	Charing Cross
Edinburgh Waverley	Euston
Glasgow Central	King’s Cross
Leeds	London Bridge
Liverpool Lime Street	Liverpool Street
Manchester Piccadilly	Paddington
Reading	St Pancras International (lower level) Retail at St Pancras is managed by HS1
Guildford	Victoria
	Waterloo
	Clapham Junction

 

2. Current stores open at London Bridge

• Accessorize
• Boots
• Bread Box
• Caffe Nero (x3)
• Cath Kidston
• Cota Coffee
• Delice de France
• Hotel Chocolat
• Isle of Flowers
• Krispy Kreme
• Leon
• M&S Simply Food
• MAC
• Oliver Bonas
• Paperchase
• Pret A Manger
• The Body Shop
• The Savanna
• Thomas Exchange
• M. Lewin
• Upper Crust
• Urban Express
• West Cornwall Pasty Co
• WH Smith (x2)
• Yo Sushi