M&S executive Sacha Berendji has claimed the recent wave of crime in London’s West End is “another reminder” of Oxford Street’s demise.
The operations director’s comments come as the police made several arrests and issued 34 dispersal orders on Wednesday following a post calling for people to ‘rob JD Sports’ went viral on Tiktok.
In a letter to The Telegraph, Berendji said the activity was “another reminder of how bad things are” in the area.
The area had once been “the jewel in London’s shopping crown”, he wrote, but now consisted of “empty shops, littered streets and fewer visitors”.
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Retailers, including Boots and Vision Express, were forced to temporarily shut its stores on Wednesday with customers still inside while police clashed with the large crowds of youths hanging around outside.
“The street was practically locked down by police to prevent major unrest planned on social media,” Berendji said.
“Londoners know that something must be done to save Oxford Street.”
The executive’s letter was in response to an opinion piece published on The Telegraph, which praised Micheal Gove’s decision to block M&S from demolishing its Marble Arch flagship as part of its regeneration plans.
Berendji said the retailer’s plans would have helped to regenerate the area, but Gove’s decision means Oxford Street “remains in limbo”.
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