London Waterloo Wetherspoons pub is so popular it's driving sales at nearby shops

London Waterloo has topped the sales charts among Network Rail's portfolio of train stations, following the opening of a Wetherspoon pub, the largest railway pub in the country. The London hub reported the highest quarterly sales growth among the 19 stations run by Network Rail in the UK, with a year-on-year increase of 47%.

This surge coincided with the opening of a new JD Wetherspoon outlet, the Lion and Unicorn, which opened its doors next to Brewdog and Nando’s in September, as reported by City AM.

Waterloo's growth was nearly double that of Birmingham New Street, which saw retail sales rise by 24%, while Clapham Junction came in third with a 23% increase in total sales.

Network Rail's property division generated £233.7m between July and September, an increase of over £21m compared to the previous year. The "encouraging" performance was supported by 10 new openings and store upgrades during the quarter, including a revamp of Marks & Spencer and the opening of lifestyle toy brand POP MART at Liverpool Street Station.

A total of 56 retail units have been launched throughout 2024, averaging more than one per week. "Sustained sales growth and new openings across our 19 managed stations is highly encouraging, as retailers are now in the Golden Quarter," said Hamish Kiernan, commercial director of property at Network Rail.

"We know how important Christmas is to our retailers and our customers will be making the most of our retail and F&B line-up over the festive period."