A year on, Battersea Power Station mall footfall beats expectations

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Oct 12, 2023

If there was a sure-fire way of knowing how popular a new major retail destination is, Battersea Power Station mall has one.

Footfall has topped estimates as consumers have flocked to the now-one-year-old £9 billion development, thanks to its dedicated Underground station. And footfall has exceeding eight million entries and exits to the nearby station over the past 12 months.

More than 11 million people have visited the mall in its first year since it formally opened to the public, according to new figures, around 10% more than forecast by its Malaysian-backed owners Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC).

The Grade II listed former coal-powered power station opened its doors on 14 October last year after a huge and complex restoration that forms the centrepiece of a riverside regeneration.

More 6,000 workers are now based there in its office complex that include Apple brand’s relocated six-floor headquarters.

And although the owner/operators of the mall has yet to file details for its overall performance, it has attracted a host of big-name retailers, especially among sportswear leaders, including Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Lululemon, Sweaty Betty, Castore and The North Face.

Other high-profile brands include a 48,800 sq ft Zara store, Mango, Uniqlo, Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, Mulberry, Chanel together with many beauty names including MAC, Rituals, Space NK, and The Body Shop and the first beauty-only Boots flagship store.

BPSDC chief executive Simon Murphy told the London Evening Standard: “We hoped to get to 10 million on an optimistic scenario, so to be 10% ahead of that is really pleasing. People are turning up and engaging and we think about 20% of them are from Wandsworth. Significantly about 80% are from the UK. It is a place for people in London first and foremost, it is not really designed to major tourist destination, it is designed to be a place for Londoners to enjoy.”