New research has found that Wimbledon Town Centre has bounced back faster than other UK high streets post-pandemic, with spending levels in the past 12 months being 25% higher than 2019 pre-pandemic levels.
Merton Council, Wimbledon Quarter and Love Wimbledon Business Improvement District (BID) recently carried out research on Wimbledon Town Centre’s economy. The study found that people are spending more time and money in the town centre compared to 2019, which has created new community and business opportunities.
The footfall in Wimbledon High Street has been rising steadily since 2020, with the 2023 and 2024 footfall hitting new records and regularly exceeding 2019 levels [Figure 1]. Existing and new businesses are capitalising on the increased local spend with research showing Mastercard transactions after inflation to have risen rapidly since 2020 and now are 25% higher than before the pandemic [Figure 2]. The opening of new cafes, shops and restaurants in the Town Centre such as Gail’s, as well as new uses including experiential and leisure experiences, like Third Space, giving rise to what is locally known as “Gymbledon”, are evidence of this.
Research shows that Wimbledon exemplifies London’s “villages”, with its high street recovering faster post-pandemic than central areas. This reflects the ‘donut effect,’ where residential areas around the outskirts are thriving while central zones are slower to recover.
Key insights from the research were shared at the Evolving Wimbledon Development Conference October 2024, delivered by White Label and Love Wimbledon (BID). The conference brought together businesses, investors, property owners, developers, and other key experts, highlighting Wimbledon Town Centre’s successes and the strong potential of its future.
Deputy Leader, Councillor Eleanor Stringer, Cabinet Member for Civic Pride, said: “Wimbledon Town Centre serves as a model of success, offering a diverse and evolving range of leisure and hospitality that creates incredible opportunities. Merton Council is working to build a borough celebrated for its thriving high streets, ensuring that residents, businesses, and visitors enjoy living, working, and spending time here.
“Through our partnership with Love Wimbledon and Wimbledon Quarter, we have gained valuable insights into the key successes of Wimbledon Town Centre’s recent growth into a bustling business area and high street destination. We are committed to ensuring that Merton’s town centres continue to thrive as hubs for local communities and businesses, and we will continue to seize opportunities to support their development.”
Alex Woolf, from Wimbledon Quarter said: “The strength of Wimbledon as an area has underpinned the transformation of a 1990s shopping centre into a new neighbourhood space for Wimbledon. We have been looking to bring in new uses where the residents and workers of Wimbledon can shop, work, play and train. The exciting new users we have added like Third Space, The Golf Groove, The Boardroom Climbing and Huddle (and many more) are all examples of businesses that recognise the strength of Wimbledon”.
Craig Hurring, Chief Executive of Love Wimbledon BID, said: “Wimbledon Town Centre continues to outperform not only its own pre-pandemic performance, but most other UK towns and high streets. In the last 12 months, we’ve seen a further 8% footfall growth above the previous 12-month period, which compares with a 0.6% increase in Greater London and a 1% average decline in UK High Streets collectively [Source: MRI Springboard footfall data]. The combination of residents rediscovering Wimbledon Town Centre, with the diversification of our leisure, culture and hospitality offer, attracting new and regular use of the town centre, has ensured that today Wimbledon is busier than ever.”
