Like-for-like sales at Network Rail’s 18 managed stations for July to September 2014 jumped by 6.23% compared to the same period in 2013. The increase is in contrast to high street sales, which fell by 0.05% according to the British Retail Consortium.
London Waterloo and Liverpool Lime Street were the two best performing Network Rail managed stations, recording 18.73% and 14.10% sales growth respectively, while Birmingham New Street has benefited from the first phase of the station’s major redevelopment which launched in April last year, recording the third highest like-for-like sales growth of 12.23%.
The results show stations both inside and outside of London continue to record solid gains with Charing Cross (11.58%), Glasgow (10.76%), Edinburgh (5.43%) and Manchester (4.95%), all moving forward strongly. Specialist food and gifting brands are growing significantly as part of the station retail mix, with like-for-like sales increases of 18.08% and 14.58%. Pubs and Bars also grew by 11.94% compared to this time last year.
Samantha Turner, head of retail at Network Rail Property, said: “These results again demonstrate how people are changing the way they shop, eat and travel. Convenience and combined retail and transport hubs are increasingly high priority for the busy British public and our strategy to create destination stations is delivering for our customers.”
The sales growth has been driven by a rolling programme of improvements, with £100m invested in improving retail facilities in 2009-14 and a further £150m invested over the 2014-19 period.
Network Rail manages 18 of Britain’s stations as well as managing St Pancras International on behalf of HS1 Ltd.