Gulf shoppers bring cheers to West End

There is a Middle-Eastern air in stores in the West End of London as retailers provide Arabic-speaking personal shoppers and put up signs in Arabic to welcome visitors expected to spend a record £250 million (Dh1.5 billion) this summer.

More than 140,000 Middle-Eastern visitors are forecast to visit Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street in the next three months and spend 11 per cent more than they did in the same period last year, said Jace Tyrrell, the head of communications for New West End Company, which represents the district’s 600 retailers and hotels.

The West End is focusing on its Middle-Eastern visitors, who are mainly from the UAE, because they still have high spending power despite the economic downturn, Mr Tyrrell said. “It makes commercial sense for us to be really giving them an increased level of customer service, given their spending.”