West End to receive regal makeover for biggest summer in UK history

April 12, 2012 - PRLog -- May Makeover is a major new campaign from the New West End Company and Westminster City Council, to ensure Oxford Street and the West End is dazzling ahead of one of the most important summers in the UK’s modern history.
May Makeover Month coincides with the completion of vital utilities work on Oxford Street ahead of excavation for the upgrade of the Bond Street Underground station and the new Crossrail station. It comes as the West End prepares for the 25 million visitors anticipated during the summer with the Diamond Jubilee and Olympic Games both coming to the capital.
Today, West End retailers have been set the challenge to donate 1,000 staff and a total of 60,000 staff volunteering minutes to the 60 Minute Makeover Challenge on 30th May 2012. During this one-hour spruce up of Europe’s longest high street, retailers will provide the finishing touches to Oxford Street.
By the end of May Makeover Month, the New West End Company and Westminster City Council aims to have:
•   Deep-cleaned every section of pavement along Oxford Street – a total of 25,774.25 metres or around 4 football pitches
•   Cleaned 1,500 metres of shop window glass
•   Polished 1,500 metres of store frontage
•   Given advice to 50 businesses on trade waste
•   Resurfaced Oxford Street from Vere Street to James Street
•   Jet washed street furniture  
•   Replanted five trees on the Crossrail site
•   Remove Crossrail barriers from Oxford Street


To help West End retailers give Oxford Street a regal flourish, the New West End Company has commissioned royal butlers Randolph’s [seen pictured] to create a ‘Book to High Street Stateliness’. The guide offers pointers for a retailer spruce-up fit for the Queen.

The Red Cap ambassadors will be out in force throughout May Makeover Month to support West End retailers as they ensure Oxford Street is spotless. These West End stalwarts will be on the lookout for Eco-criminals whilst rewarding The Litterati – the greenest shoppers disposing of their litter and cigarette butts and using the correct recycling bins – with £20 shopping vouchers.

The New West End Company, representing 600 retailers on Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street, will also be campaigning to slash the number of cigarette butts carelessly littered to enhance the shopper environment. This will be driven by the Red Caps ‘Litterati’ campaign throughout May.  

Richard Dickinson, Chief Executive of the New West End Company, says, “Whilst the West End has undoubtedly become a smarter place in the last five years, the May Makeover campaign is about highlighting the need for further improvement in this critical year. A key element of this initiative will be slashing the number of cigarette butts dropped on the streets. As the West End welcomes visitors from across the world for the Diamond Jubilee and Olympics, we need to ensure the world’s top retail destination offers the best possible shopping experience.

“Today, the gauntlet has been laid down for the first West End retailers to commit to donating staff who will be vital to a successful sprucing up of Oxford Street.”

Councillor Ed Argar from Westminster City Council, says, ““The West End is always in the world’s shop window, but at no time more than in the next few months. With all eyes on the capital, our strong business partnerships with groups like the New West End Company will help us to make sure we keep getting it right, and keep delivering clean, safe and vibrant streets which help businesses to capitalise on the opportunities presented this summer.”
David Waboso, Capital Programmes Director at TfL, says, “TfL prides itself on a safe and clean system, and every night an unseen army of people work hard to keep the West End stations and buses clean. We recognise that the necessary works in the West End for the Tube Upgrades has an impact on the local environment, and in support of New West End Company’s May Makeover, we are asking all of our teams to make an extra effort to ensure the West End can look its best this summer.”

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MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Lizzie Costelloe at Rain Communications  
0207 828 0118 / firstname.surname@raincommunications.co.uk

Notes to Editors

More Information on New West End Company:
New West End Company is a company dedicated to driving forward London’s West End as the world’s top shopping destination. It is supported and run by major retailers and property owners in Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street.
New West End Company ensures the ongoing commercial success of the area by promoting the district, delivering street management services and funding public realm projects to improve the shopping environment.  It is a leading partner in the biggest regeneration programme of London’s West End in its history.  Find out more at www.newwestend.com
London’s West End offers a world-class mix of 600 shops, 40 renowned theatres, 30 museums and galleries, 17 Michelin star restaurants and 7 tranquil green spaces.
There are 200 million visits to London’s West End each year spending £7.6bn.  Of these visitors 37% are from overseas and a further 21% are from outside of London and it is now ranked number one globally for international flagship stores.