Interesting article that highlights the resurgence of the “nation's shopping street” partly with the return of HMV, and partly by explaining that hoardings might just be the chrysalis from which something beautiful will emerge - it's just that there can be a significant lag between a retailer (i) acquiring a lease and (ii) having fitted out and being ready to trade (and negotiating the documents can take a while too, says the lawyer). 

The article quotes vacancy rates for east Oxford Street as having fallen from 16% in Q2 2023 to an expected 1.1% by the end of this year; west Oxford Street has dropped from 15% in the last quarter to 9.4% now, and are expected to go down to 3.6% by Q3 2024.

If only Oxford Street were a bellwether for the nation's retail market…