St Pancras shops see bumper trading Christmas figures

St Pancras was once a spectacular but dreary terminal for services from Derby, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield where the shopping consisted of little more than a branch of WH Smith.

But it has been transformed into one of Europe’s most glamorous transport hubs — with its longest champagne bar — since Eurostar services to Paris and Brussels moved there from Waterloo in 2007. Around 48 million people use the station each year — of which a quarter do not travel but come to shop or eat.

The lower level, where beer barrels from the Burton breweries were once stored, has become a mall with brands including fashion labels Cath Kidston and Fat Face, scents specialist Jo Malone and chocolate maker Godiva.

Wendy Spinks, commercial director of St Pancras’s operator HS1, said: “These Christmas figures reflect a tremendous year for retail at St Pancras and highlights the station’s appeal as a quality shopping destination in its own right.”

A number of the outlets today launched an app called StP that will send tailor-made offers to the mobile devices of passengers and shoppers as they wander round, as well as travel information. Robin Bevan, director of retail analysts Javelin Group, said: “Our research with HS1 shows just how significant the role played by impulse purchasing is at St Pancras International.”