Retailers including Arcadia Group boss Sir Philip Green and Harold Tillman, owner of Jaeger and Aquascutum, were among store chiefs who gathered this morning to promote the fifth traffic-free Christmas shopping day in London’s West End.

Sir Philip Green and Harold Tillman promote traffic-free day

From midday on Saturday December 5, Oxford Street and Regent Street will go traffic-free. Last year’s event, which ran over a weekend, generated £150m of sales for West End retailers.

Richard Dickinson, chief executive of New West End Company, joined Lan Tu, head of UK merchant services for American Express, Paul Kelly, chief executive of Selfridges, John King, boss of House of Fraser and James Bidwell, managing director of the newly-opened Anthropologie, to launch the event.

The New West End Company will host customer pamper and chill-out areas, pop-up entertainment and shows in the streets on the day.