London has retained its position as the world’s most international shopping destination, with a flurry of overseas retailers choosing the capital for their UK debut.
Canadian-born Yoga brand Lululemon Athletics — favoured by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Rosie Huntington Whiteley and Cameron Diaz — and US fashion retailer American Eagle were among 12 brands to open in London last year.
Property agent CBRE said that almost 60% of high-profile international brands are now present in the city.
“It remains key for international brands to have a strong presence in London, fundamentally because of its size, transparency and position on the global retail stage,” said Andrew Phipps, head of EMEA retail research at CBRE.
The top target city for brands is Tokyo, attracting 63 new retail brands in 2014. Singapore and Abu Dhabi ranked second and third, respectively.
At least half of the 164 cities surveyed by CBRE saw more than five new openings in last year.
