After a number of attempts to revive a fractured and unwieldy Oxford Street, a much-vaunted pop-up initiative is promising to pep up vacant units and help oust downmarket retailers, and a number of headline openings from Paris St.-Germain to Dr. Martens and HMV point to renewed retailer interest. Yet a new golden age for Britain's most famous retail thoroughfare is far from assured, with rents flatlining, a reliance on landlords to help deliver the pop-up project, delays to the arrival of Ikea and Marks & Spencer threatening to pull the plug on its famous Marble Arch flagship. So just what is the truth about the plans and prospects for a street that has been in structural decline for more than a decade? 
Earlier this year, small businesses were invited to apply to take over shops on Oxford Street rent-free as part of a project launched by Westminster City Council, in partnership with New West End Company and temporary space specialist Someday Studios.Called Meanwhile On: Oxford Street, the programme aims to activate empty spaces… Read the full story here. | 
