Total retail sales at Network Rail’s managed stations, including F&B and retail spend, grew by 5.29% between April and June 2017.
The growth rate at the state-owned railways operator compares favourably to British Retail Consortium figures, which show average total sales growth of 2.8% in the wider retail sector over the same period.
Network Rail said 64 million retail customers – equivalent to almost the entire population of the UK – visited station outlets during Q2 2017.
Overall, £192.5 million was spent at its stations over the three-month period, with like-for-like retail sales up 1.91%.
It was the 21st consecutive quarter of sales growth across Network Rail managed stations with the strongest increases in stations that have seen significant recent investment.
Paddington (40%), London Bridge (15%) and King’s Cross (14%) stations showed the highest growth in London, while outside of the capital Birmingham New Street (13%) and Manchester Piccadilly (7%) were the best performers.
Hamish Kiernan, commercial director of retail for Network Rail, said: “Today’s results show how our ongoing investment in stations is creating places that are destinations in their own right, where people choose to meet, eat, shop and travel.
“Stations like Paddington, King’s Cross and Birmingham New Street have been transformed in recent years and that transformation is leading to better passenger satisfaction and increased sales. Importantly, all profits from our retail activities are reinvested back in to the railway.”
The full opening of London Bridge in 2018 will create 92,000 sq ft of new retail space including F&B, fashion, beauty and gift shops.
