Like-for-like sales at major rail stations rise for 17th successive quarter
Retail sales at Network Rail managed stations have risen for a 17th successive quarter as 204 million people passed through the stations between April and June this year.
Network Rail’s figures show that overall like-for-like sales increased by 4.14% with almost one in three station users visiting Network Rail station retailers in the period.
Food and beverage outlets saw their sales increase by 6.1% year-on-year while traditional retail sales grew by 2.5%.
The like-for-like increase was driven by three key growth areas in the second quarter of 2016. Year-on-year gifting purchases soared by 43.6% whilst technology sales grew by 20.6%. Accessories completed the top three with 10.2% growth over the three-month period.
David Biggs, Network Rail’s managing director of property, said: “These figures show that the quality retail offering at Network Rail stations is driving strong customer traffic to the many shops, cafes and boutiques that stations now have to offer. That’s good news for shoppers and good news for passengers too. All profits from retail sales are reinvested back into the railway, helping fund the Railway Upgrade Plan.”
Network Rail Property has recently appointed Daniel Charles as its new head of retail. He will join the organisation in October from the Abu Dhabi Airports Company where he was head of retail for almost two and a half years. Prior to that, he worked as a senior category manager at Network Rail.
