International Retailers look to compete in Chelsea in Bloom as The King’s Road Partnership reports international spend is up 45% on 2019 alongside record footfall to the Road. Chelsea in Bloom (which runs from the 20-26 May), saw a 55.7% uplift in footfall last year recording the highest footfall since records began, with visitors exceeding 1.3m (nearly half a million than the week before) and a 3.2% uplift on 2022 levels. The theme for Chelsea in Bloom this year is edible feasts.
Martin’s Properties, a major landlord and developer, which has an extensive portfolio on the King’s Road and across the South East, reports that it continues to receive unprecedented interest from global brands looking for bricks and mortar sites in this iconic shopping destination. In total 21 new brands opened stores on the King’s Road in 2023, vastly outnumbering those that departed. For those brands opening their doors they joined their neighbours in celebrating increased sales figures of 4.8% on the same quarter in 2019. This has been swiftly followed by further international brands such as H&M who opened their new concept store in the street last month, “offering the most fashion forward products with elevated styling”.
Within Martin’s Properties portfolio, global fitness apparel brand, Alo Yoga, and Mexican inspired restaurant, Ixchel, launched at 33 Kings Road following an 8-month refurbishment and repositioning in 2023. Hospitality outlets in the King’s Road have seen a huge increase in revenue, up 105% on 2019 levels, 32% higher than Regent Street and Oxford Street over the same period.
Alo Yoga and Ixchel were joined at the newly repositioned 33 King’s Road development by French designer eyewear brand Bloobloom and vibrant beachwear and ski apparel brand MC2 Saint Barth, who opened their first UK and London Flagship store next to Alo Yoga last month.
Jonathan de Mello of JDM Retail comments, “ The Kings Road in the 60’s was THE location in the UK for fashion forward consumers to come and shop the latest trends. All signs are showing that the street is starting to win back some of that status from the likes of the West End and other locations, with more and more retailers choosing the Chelsea area for flagship representation. As we now live in a world of hybrid working, affluent London neighbourhoods with strong retail offers such as Chelsea and Marylebone have seen a strong uptick in performance, with more residents choosing to shop closer to home than ever before. The Kings Road offers more than just fashion however – with a range of high end dining options which increase shopper dwell time and add to an already vibrant evening economy. The Kings Road’s success highlights that – with active asset management and a strong consumer focused occupier mix – high streets cannot just survive, but can indeed thrive.”
Martin’s Properties has also repositioned a further 4,000 sqft unit at 44 King’s Road, previously home to Foxton’s Estate Agents, now home to Italian menswear label Luca Faloni. The new store mirrors Luca Falconi sibling stores around the world with their iconic Aperitivo bar and Italian interiors, supporting the trend for mixing shopping and cocktails, first seen on the King’s Road in Rixo’s vibrant store, with an eclectic all day café serving drinks all day.
Richard Bourne, CEO Martin’s Properties Comments “Chelsea in Bloom is like a second Christmas for our retail and F&B clients. It is fantastic to see so many brands taking part this year and the street alive with floral installations attracting huge numbers of visitors. Brands taking part also benefit hugely from wall-to-wall social media coverage of their installations throughout the week. Chelsea in Bloom is a fantastic example of the great work of the King’s Road Partnership, where we have a seat on the Board and provide regular voluntary donations.
Our in house asset management team continue to attract a host of global brands vying to call the King’s Road their European home. The reconfigured 25,000 sqft 33 King’s Road site, which has been in our ownership for over 50 years, and was once home to a petrol filling station, has reignited the restaurant and retail scene on the King’s Road which once again attracts a mix of local and international visitors.
Despite increased competition from retail destinations like Battersea Power Station, the Kings Road has never been more popular. The King’s Road has a unique history, beautiful architecture and a fabulous fashion heritage that is being revived, which cannot be rivalled by purpose-built retail. We benefit from a loyal and affluent customer base on our doorstep which is very attractive to fashion and lifestyle brands such as Alo Yoga who are looking for community-based stores as part of their global offering. We are beginning to see a surge in international footfall as shoppers explore further along the King’s Road and come to the area for its many boutiques and all-day dining.”
This year’s theme for Chelsea in Bloom is Floral Feasts for more information and a list of participants please visit: https://www.chelseainbloom.co.uk/participants-voting/alo-yoga/
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Kate Titchmarsh
kate@the-flashbulb.com