For two weeks every summer, the eyes of the tennis world are on Wimbledon. The Tennis Championships brings global attention onto SW19, and during the tournament fortnight alone, more than 630,000 visits are recorded in Wimbledon Town Centre.
Undoubtedly, the prestige and glamour of the Championships brings with it a wonderful buzz and a hive of activity during those two weeks at the height of the summer. However, the bigger picture is what happens in Wimbledon across the other fifty weeks of the year away from the tennis.
Over the last five years, footfall in the town centre has grown by 16% compared with the previous five years, reaching its highest level since Love Wimbledon first installed footfall cameras in the town back in 2013. During a period when many UK high streets were fighting to stand still, Wimbledon’s numbers have been climbing steadily. Here is a look at some of the initiatives that have driven that growth in recent years.
A town centre with reasons to visit all year round
Over the last five years, Love Wimbledon has delivered over 500 days of events and activities in the town centre. Tennis on the big screen – situated in the town’s central hub The Piazza – has become a fixture of the Championships, enabling thousands of tennis fans, locals and visitors watch the action together in the heart of SW19. We have put Glastonbury on the big screen for a festival weekend, celebrated the Platinum Jubilee and the Summer of Sport, and run our monthly markets and popular Christmas markets year after year.
Attracting and maintaining large crowds is a boost for Wimbledon businesses and retailers in the town centre, who reap the rewards of higher footfall.
Events are only part of the story. Wimbledon’s cultural venues give people a reason to visit whatever the season. New Wimbledon Theatre, one of London’s largest, brings West End musicals, comedy and its legendary annual pantomime to The Broadway, while Polka Theatre, the UK’s first theatre dedicated to children, has been delighting families for generations. Film fans are spoilt for choice with two cinemas in the town centre, Odeon and Curzon, and Merton Arts Space at Wimbledon Library hosts a year-round programme of performances, exhibitions and community events.
Winterfest, delivered in partnership with Wimbledon Quarter, has added a new seasonal dimension to the town’s calendar, while our recent Sustainable September programme ran inspire creativity, enhance community and deliver unique experiences in discovering practical and inspiring ways to embrace more sustainable living. The 2026 edition even added a new Wellness Weekend with K-beauty and culture.
Each event is designed to attract and givepeople a reason to come into Wimbledon, discover businesses they might not otherwise have found and come back again.
Making the town centre an attractive destination
Events bring people in. But the town centre needs to be an attractive destination that keeps visitors returning and the doors of our many local businesses open and thriving.
That’s why Love Wimbledon invests continuously in the look and feel of SW19, maintaining our cherished town centre with projects that breathe new life into the environment. We revitalised Hartfield Walk, refreshed flowerbeds and hanging baskets, introduced new plant troughs and summer plinths, installed the Valentine’s Day heart and the famous 25ft Christmas Tree at the station, and unfurled lamp post banners that celebrate the town’s character, Wombles included.
It’s also why we fund extra cleaning and graffiti removal, to keep the town centre looking tidy and hospitable, resolving more than 12,000 town centre issues over the last five years. This included jet-washing 1,534 square metres of pavements over three days after a long hot summer left them looking in need of some TLC. Clean, green and well cared-for spaces keep visitors walking, browsing and spending for longer.
A digital audience that keeps Wimbledon visible
Growing physical footfall starts with growing digital visibility. Love Wimbledon’s combined digital audience has grown by 63% over the last five years and now reaches around 30,000 people. Our town centre photography has racked up 21 million views on Google, averaging 13,000 views per photo, elevating our visibility in digital spaces that put Wimbledon front and centre for potential visitors.
Seasonal campaigns, business promotion and our newsletters help nurture our audiences with engaging content and updates throughout the year. Our Privilege Card, with 9,000 sign-ups and over 100 offers from around a third of high street businesses, gives the thousands of people who work in the BID area a direct reason to shop, eat and drink on their own doorstep.
Creating a thriving overnight economy
The most significant change to Wimbledon’s visitor mix is happening all the time. With over 350 new hotel beds being created in the town centre, the profile of our visitors is broadening from day-trippers to overnight guests.
Travelodge opened its doors a couple of years ago. The boutique apart-hotel at Bank Buildings is nearing completion and a new creative hotel is under construction on Worple Road. For restaurants, bars, cultural venues and coffee shops, overnight visitors provide an improved evening and early-morning economy that these businesses need to keep growing.
There is continued healthy investment in the town centre, with over £450 million in recent refurbishments and redevelopments, alongside new homes being constructed in the town centre, and Wimbledon’s footfall has structural support, not just seasonal spikes.
Growth that reflects a strong and varied business community
Wimbledon has maintained one of the lowest high street vacancy rates in Britain, with occupancy averaging 95% over the last four years. The range of businesses and hotspots across the town centre continues to diversify, comprising independent retailers, national brands, leisure operators, cafés and restaurants. A growing flexible workspace scene brings new enterprises and employees into town every weekday
In our most recent business survey, 95% of businesses agreed that Wimbledon is a thriving town centre, and the footfall data suggests the public aligns with this sentiment.
Building on the Championships success
The Championships will always be Wimbledon’s global moment, and Love Wimbledon will keep making the most of it, with Big Screen Tennis, the Tennis Windows competition, banners, baskets and a town centre buzzing with visitors.
But the real ambition is bigger. As our 2027-2032 Business Plan sets out, we want to invest further in the visitor economy and our events programme, so Wimbledon becomes one of London’s greatest destinations all year round. The growth of the last five years shows what is possible when businesses, partners and the community pull in the same direction.
Want your business to be part of the next stage of that story? Find out about taking part in Love Wimbledon events or get in touch with the team at info@lovewimbledon.org.