Next stop St Pancras: Change here for Prada, Cartier and Mulberry

St Pancras International station is to be turned into an airport-style shopping destination under plans to bring in designer brands such as Cartier, Smythson, Mulberry and Prada.

The shops will be located between the reception of the newly opened five-star Renaissance hotel and the Searcys champagne bar.

Homeware designer Cath Kidston has already signed up and opened her first station-based branch yesterday.

Gelato Mio, the Italian ice cream specialist which has stores in Belsize Park, Notting Hill and St John's Wood, will open its first travel outlet at St Pancras at the end of this month.
High Speed 1, which manages the retail sites, hopes that the stores will attract guests staying at the Marriott Renaissance, as well as Eurostar passengers.

The hotel, which opened last month following a £200 million renovation, offers rooms and suites ranging from £225 to £10,000 a night.

There are also long-term residents, including supermodel Lily Cole, in 67 serviced apartments above the station. HS1 is planning to unveil the shopping area, which will contain at least four further brand names, in time for Christmas.

Neil Saunders, consultant director at retail analyst Verdict Research, described the move as "a good idea in principle".

He said: "This is because it is an international terminal. It wouldn't work at Paddington and Waterloo.

"Those passengers are very unlikely to be interested in that type of thing. However, St Pancras does already have the feel of an airport so there's a possibility they can make it work.

"It will have to be quite niche, they need to be careful not to open too many of these kinds of shops. It is unlikely to be a real destination for shopping - especially with Bond Street and Sloane Street close by - so customers are more likely to pick things up on the spur of the moment.

"Designer brands are realising that if they branch out of their prestigious locations they can increase footfall."

A spokeswoman described the approach as "somewhere between an airport and Marylebone High Street". She added: "Even during the recession the champagne bar was serving 1,000 glasses a day."