Last Store Standing: All stores close except for a £100m luxury outlet in Hackney

A £100million designer shopping outlet in Hackney has seen all but one of its stores closed as business slumped.

Billed as London’s first luxury shopping outlet, Hackney Walk received £1.5million from City Hall in 2011 under then-Mayor Boris Johnson to rival Bicester Village in Oxfordshire.

It launched in 2017 with 14 high-end stores, including the Nike Factory, which closed in October, and Gieves and Hawkes – a bespoke men’s tailor.

Lab C-Estate Ltd, the lessee of the units, is in liquidation while owner The Arch Company claimed to be working to “take back control”.

A council spokesman said the complex needed to be restored and put back into service for the benefit of the Hackney community.

A £100million designer shopping outlet in Hackney has seen all but one of its stores closed as business slumped

Hackney Walk, billed as London’s first luxury shopping outlet, was awarded £1.5million by City Hall under Boris Johnson to rival Bicester Village in Oxfordshire

It launched in 2017 with 14 high-end stores, including the Nike Factory, which closed in October, and Gieves and Hawkes – a bespoke men’s tailor

Hopes for the outlet were dashed as only one store remains, Present – which sells designer outerwear from CP Company, Stone Island and Woolrich.

Nick Perry, secretary of the Hackney Society’s planning group, told the BBC the call from locals is that the branch would bring many job opportunities to the London Borough.

“It was never really about them going to Gieves and Hawkes. Kids here don’t wear that.”

He added that two of the units are boarded up because they “were attacked twice by rams for having stuff that was attractive but nobody could afford.”

Many doors under the draw arches are boarded up and graffiti has been sprayed all over the site.

Looking through the windows of the abandoned branches, the rooms appear bare and purposeless, with few people passing by.

Shay, who works at the final store, partially blames Covid-19 for closing stores across the outlet.

She said: “Most shops closed just after Covid. There were three or four that stayed after that, but they’re all closed now.

“Before Covid it was busy and business was good.”

Looking ahead Shay hopes the empty space will make sense again.

She said, “It would be good if they made it a more community-based place and used the space for everyone’s benefit.”

Many Hackney locals have never visited the outlet, and some claim its location means it goes unnoticed.

Laura Mival, a producer who lives in Hackney, said the outlet is on the outskirts of town and doesn’t get a lot of walk-in customers.

Lisa Nathan works at the local pub The Globe and finds the outlet isn’t open to everyone.

Laura Mival (pictured), a producer who lives in Hackney, said the outlet is on the outskirts of town and doesn’t get a lot of walk-in customers

Looking through the windows of the abandoned branches, the rooms appear bare and purposeless, with few people passing by

Hopes for the outlet were dashed as only one store remains, Present – which sells designer outerwear from CP Company, Stone Island and Woolrich

Nick Perry, secretary of the Hackney Society’s planning group, said the call from locals was that the branch would bring many job opportunities to the London Borough

She said: “The price is too high for Hackney – people don’t want to shop there.

“There are a lot of good shops around that are a lot cheaper so people don’t have to go. I’ve been here for 51 years and I’ve never been and wouldn’t want to.

Ms. Nathan hopes the space can be used to help the children in the area.

She added: “There are a lot of children in this area so it should be put to good use to help children and teenagers. It would be good to do something for her.”

A spokesman for the council said: “We share concerns about the impact of the now vacant Hackney Walk units on the neighborhood and the wider city centre.

“The Council does not own or manage these arches but we have reached out to the owners, The Arch Company, that they need to be put back into use for the benefit of the local community and the wider city centre.

“We are aware that The Arch Company is in the process of regaining control of the Arches from the current tenants and we are ready and willing to work with them to ensure that any plans put forward reflect the interests of the community.

The spokesperson added that he had recently received £19million from the government’s compensation fund for Hackney Central, part of which will be spent making empty spaces usable again.

Current owners Arch Company added: “Current tenant Lab C-Estate Ltd is in liquidation. We are working on regaining control of the units so we can use them productively again. We look forward to working with the Council to do this.’