Battersea Power Station sees more than a quarter million visitors during opening weekend

• Visitors enjoyed the first of the “unique shops, bars, restaurants and leisure venues”. British and international brands now open at Battersea Power Station include Adidas, Nike, Mulberry, Theory, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Aesop, Space NK, Hugo Boss, Jo Malone London, Uniqlo and Mango.

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 20): London’s Battersea Power Station recorded more than a quarter of a million visitors during its opening weekend from 14 to 16 Oct.

According to a media release by Sime Darby Property, “huge crowds came to see inside the iconic landmark for the very first time” and also to explore the neighbourhood’s new pedestrianised high street, Electric Boulevard.

Visitors enjoyed the first of the “unique shops, bars, restaurants and leisure venues”. British and international brands now open at Battersea Power Station include Adidas, Nike, Mulberry, Theory, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Aesop, Space NK, Hugo Boss, Jo Malone London, Uniqlo and Mango.

A new neighbourhood bookstore, Battersea Bookshop, from specialist bookseller Stanfords, reported sales of 1,383 books during opening weekend and the Curated Makers pop-up, which hosts more than 40 local independent small businesses selling homeware, candles, clothing, artwork and more, saw record-breaking sales on opening day.

On the first day of opening on Oct 14, Genesis sold its first car while the Adidas ‘Empower Station’ pop up, which featured fitness classes and challenges hosted by Olympic and Paralympic athletes, instructors and industry experts, was fully booked during the weekend.

Eateries also did brisk business -- Inception Group, London’s most experiential hospitality company, opened its exciting new bar concept, Control Room B, and sold more than 7,000 cocktails over the weekend. Paris Baguette served 1,221 pieces of cake, “smoothies proved to be the top seller at Clean Kitchen, Where The Pancakes Are flipped more than 2,500 pancakes and Poke House served 3,500 poke bowls throughout the weekend”, stated Sime Darby property.

Electric Boulevard also opened with ZARA and ZARA Home, seeing many shoppers heading to its first Central London store south of the river. A new-concept M&S Food Hall will follow shortly along with the UK’s first art’otel, a 164 room hotel with Michelin starred chef, Henrique Sá Pessoa, opening his new rooftop bar and restaurant, JOIA, here.

Also opening in the next few weeks is Lift 109, a unique glass elevator experience inside the Power Station’s north west chimney, offering panoramic views of London from a height of 109m. Tickets are due to go on sale shortly.

Visitors also enjoyed the ‘Festival of Power’, a free five-day festival celebrating the history and cultural contributions of Battersea Power Station. The event kicked off with an official countdown to the opening of the Grade II* listed Power Station led by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan; MP for Battersea, Marsha de Cordova and Battersea Power Station alumni, Rita Kelly, who worked at the Power Station in the 1950s.

Other highlights during the weekend included performances from the Battersea Power Station Community Choir, Arcadia’s Lords of Lightning and the Bright Sparks Trail – an interactive heritage trail app leading user to performances across the neighbourhood which nod to the history and cultural significance of the building. The Festival of Power continues on 22 to 23 Oct, with performances on the Pavilion Stage in Power Station Park from 12pm to 8pm, and buskers performing from 10am to 6pm.

“Nearly forty years after the lights were switched off in one of London’s most defining landmarks and following an eight-year restoration project in which the building was transformed from a derelict shell to the shining centrepiece of a new town centre for London,” added Sime Darby Property.

“The public response to the opening of Battersea Power Station and our new pedestrianised high street, Electric Boulevard, has been truly amazing, and exceeded our expectations,” said Simon Murphy, CEO of Battersea Power Station Development Company.

“On behalf of our shareholders, I would like to thank every single person who came down to visit, and we look forward to many more visitors over the coming months and years – this is just the beginning,” he added.

The wider Battersea Power Station development is owned by a consortium of Malaysian investors comprised of S P Setia (40%), Sime Darby Property (40%) and The Employees’ Provident Fund (20%), with the commercial assets within the Power Station building now being directly owned by Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) and EPF.