New Entrants Drive Demand for London Retail and Leisure Space

Posted by Colliers on 3rd March 2026 -

London retail and leisure demand surged in January, with enquiries from new entrants across retail, F&B, and leisure (including gyms, health and wellbeing operators) rising 108% year-on-year, from 12 in January 2025 to 25 this January.

 

Colliers’ latest Central London Demand Tracker recorded 136 total requirements in January 2026, an increase from 127 in the same month last year.

Demand across categories in January remained strong:

• Food & Beverage: 57 requirements
• Leisure operators: 27 requirements
• Fashion & accessories: 13 requirements

International appetite for London also remains robust. The most active countries by number of requirements were the USA (6), the UAE (5) and South Korea (4).

Sara Simpson, co-head of London Retail in Colliers’ One London, said: “January was the first month we have seen South Korea enter our top origin list. This reflects the recent surge in K-beauty brands taking space in London, with PURESEOUL and Moida continuing their expansions and Skin Cupid opening its new flagship in Soho.”

January’s strong performance follows a busy 2025. Full-year figures show a 37.9% rise in requirements in 2025 compared with 2024, increasing from 898 to 1,238. The uplift was driven particularly by leisure operators and fashion & accessories brands, with requirements up 60.1% and 53.6% respectively. 

Sara continues: “At the end of last year the number of enquiries and requirements we were receiving was noticeably higher than previous years. There is a real appetite for space in London with low supply in prime locations and plenty of competitive tension for the best space.”