Oxford Street Retail Opportunity: Innovative & Up and Coming Businesses Wanted

Have you ever dreamt of showcasing your brand on one of London’s busiest high streets? Oxford Street is without doubt one of the busiest commercial retail streets in the UK.

On average, half a million people visit Oxford Street every day making it a prime location for flagship and department stores. For many small to mid-size brands the cost of having a store on Oxford Street renders the idea as financially impossible, however a new retail programme is about to make the impossible – possible!

Called ‘Meanwhile On: Oxford Street’ the initiative aims to upgrade the street, moving out the cheap tat stores and bringing in a mix of up and coming brands and businesses.

Meanwhile On: Oxford Street are inviting up to 35 brands to apply for a 100% rent-free, prime store location for an initial six-month period. There will be a variety of store sizes on offer, single tenancy and curated stores shared between like-minded concepts.

The initial deadline for applications is 12pm on Wednesday, 30 August 2023.

Successful applicants will benefit from:

• approximate six-month rent-free tenancy on London’s iconic Oxford Street
• a 70% reduction on business rates liability throughout tenancy
• an incredible package of support including store design, mentoring and management from independent retail consultants Someday Studios(link is external)
• PR and marketing support

Meanwhile On: Oxford Street are looking for innovative and up-and-coming small businesses that:

• are looking to launch a physical space  
• can offer something unique to Oxford Street’s audience in terms of product, events, experience or concept  
• have the potential to go on to launch a long-term store independently after developing their brand through the programme  
• have sufficient capital to cover the project costs (please read the Applicants Guide) and to sustain the rest of their business whilst running a store for six months  
• have sufficient resources to run a store for six months on one of the world’s busiest streets. This includes staff, stock, promotion and general execution  
• want to play a part in shaping Oxford Street’s future for the better  
• care about sustainability and can demonstrate how it plays a part in their business  

This programme is not intended to support well-established retailers who would otherwise already be able to operate a store in Central London without the support of this programme. 

You can apply to be part of the Meanwhile on: Oxford Street programme by completing the form. Please take a look at the PDF version of the application form before applying online to familiarise yourself with the process.

Please also make sure you read the applicants guide and the scoring criteria.