#oxford-street

#oxford-street

Covering around 21,000 square feet across two floors, the store promises to be packed with wizarding merchandise - and perhaps spell trouble for the many nearby shops that have long relied on unofficial scarves, wands, and suspiciously untaxed Hogwarts souvenirs.

Only to be met by a wall of people, relentless crowd surges and consumerist chaos at its peak. It's hard to imagine anyone actually enjoying it, yet clearly thousands do because there they all were. I've always loved the Christmas lights in London, but when you're sandwiched between strangers, all trying to get somewhere, I have to say they start to lose their appeal.

Regent Street will close to traffic for the first time in five years and be transformed into a fully pedestrianised winter wonderland. The busy shopping street will be pedestrianised between 2pm and 9pm on Saturday December 6 as part of a car-free day of Christmas shopping and celebrations. Regent Street will be pedestrianised along its Festive Mile, stretching between Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus.

It's a controversial decision as Westminster Council had a plan in place ready to go, when they say, the Mayor of London announced his plans to take control of the street with just a few days notice. The council finally accepted that it would not be worth the effort to fight the decision and formally signed over control yesterday, which will come into effect this weekend.

The Mayor of London reported strong public support, with nearly two-thirds favoring his proposal for pedestrianising Oxford Street.

Rituals' 'mind spa' will be launched in Oxford Street, offering stress relief through treatments like 'brain massages' and 'breathing bubbles', tailored for shoppers.