Chinatown London becomes an F&B takeaway hub for visitors as London reawakens

Shaftesbury has announced that 34 of Chinatown London’s F&B operators have opened to provide a critical mass of takeaway options for shoppers returning to the West End as the easing of the lockdown gathers momentum.

While a number of Chinatown’s operators have been providing deliveries for some time, many have now added food-to-go to cater for West End shoppers seeking something more than a takeway coffee or typical burger offer.

Reflecting Chinatown’s diversity, visitors can enjoy a wide range of takeaway food, from Bubblewrap’s famous egg-shaped waffles to Happy Lemon’s rock salted cheese milk tea and Pho & Bun’s pork belly bao burgers. More operators are joining the line-up daily.

Andrew Price, Portfolio Executive at Shaftesbury, commented: “While it is early days, London is reawakening.  As it does, and footfall in the West End increases, people are actively searching for more inspiring choices as part of their visit, with many having missed their favourite foods during the lockdown.  Chinatown currently has the widest range of takeaway food available in one place in central London, is traffic free, and pedestrian friendly.

In parallel, we have received interest from a number of new operators keen to join Chinatown as London’s recovery gains momentum.  Like the increasing volumes of consumers, brands recognise Chinatown London’s enduring appeal as a unique destination in the heart of the West End.”

Newport Court, or dessert alley as it has become known on social media, is proving particularly popular, with many of its brands reporting growing demand for their traditional best sellers.

Alex Xu, owner of Happy Lemon, added: “We have kept in contact with our customers virtually during the lockdown, but being able to serve them once again is a very exciting moment.  Since the shops re-opened, customer numbers have grown, with people deliberately seeking us out as part of their visit to the West End.”

To ensure the safety of visitors, workers and residents, Shaftesbury has introduced a number of measures in Chinatown London. To encourage visitors to adopt social distancing measures, new floor markings have been installed in both Mandarin and English. Shaftesbury has also been working with businesses in Chinatown to help implement protective measures for staff and visitors. In addition, hand sanitisation points have been installed throughout Chinatown London.

Shaftesbury is also continuing with its #BringingChinatownHome campaign, which helps people take inspiration and enjoy the area from their homes. The programme includes a virtual ‘routine’ that allows social media followers to explore Chinese culture with a series of activities throughout the week, mixing mindfulness exercises and basic language lessons with regular recipe content.

ENDS 

For further information please contact a member of the Aver team: 

Amanda McNally - amandamcnally@averpr.com 

Full list of operators serving takeaway

Bubblewrap, Bun House, Candy Café, Chatime, Chinatown Bakery, Cuppacha, Dumplings’ Legend, Er Mei, Five Friends Desserts, Food House, Four Seasons Restaurant, Gerrard’s Corner Restaurant, Golden Gate Cake Shop, Good Fried Chicken (Ji Chicken), Haozhan, Happy Lemon, Hefaure, JinLi, Kova Patisserie, London Chinatown Restaurant, Meet Fresh, New Gourmet Kitchen, Old Tree Daiwan Bee, Old Town 97, One Plus Restaurant, Pho & Bun, Rice Coming, Shu Xiangge, Super Star, Taiyakiya, Tsujiri, Tao Tao Ju, Yi Fang, Yolkin.

In addition, the following retailers and supermarkets are open: Easy Health, Beijing Tong Ren Tang, Hong Ning Herbal, HSBC, Loon Fung Supermarket, New Loon Moon Supermarket, Oseyo and SeeWoo.

Chinatown London 

China is changing and traditional values are being complemented by new ideals and trends, inspired by other parts of the Far East and the West.  This is influencing what Chinese people and visitors expect in Chinatown.  Shaftesbury understands this and is experiencing directly the evolution of China, spending time in its cities to see, taste and hear what is happening first hand.  

Whilst inherently Chinese, under Shaftesbury’s long-term curation and partnership with the community, Chinatown is evolving to reflect the changes occurring in the Far East, creating is a mix of tradition and modernism that makes cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul some of the most exciting places in the world.  Centrally located and one of the best-connected destinations in the capital, Chinatown is served by many underground stations and will benefit from the Elizabeth line opening in late 2019. 

中国城 

中国正在经历翻天覆地的变化，而在东亚其它地区和西方的影响下，中国的许多传统价值也正在和新的理念与潮流相融合。这样的变化也在影响着中国人与其他地方游客对中国城的看法与期待。Shaftesbury对这样的趋势有着深刻的理解，而且也对中国的高速发展有着直接的体会。在过去的一段时间里，Shaftesbury的一些员工被派往中国，亲自去观看、去品尝、去倾听今天中国的脉搏。 

虽然伦敦中国城本质上还是中国传统的延伸，但在Shaftesbury长期的精心策划与管理下，并且在与当地社群的合作下，中国城正在成为反映亚洲巨变的一面镜子。如今，中国城和上海、北京、东京、首尔等等许多令人激动的亚洲城市一样，成为了一个传统与现代相互碰撞、相互融合的地方。 

 Shaftesbury  

Shaftesbury owns and manages a 15.1-acre property portfolio in the liveliest parts of London's West End.  Focused on restaurants, leisure and retail in the highly popular, sought-after and prosperous locations of Carnaby, Seven Dials and Chinatown, together with substantial ownerships in East and West Covent Garden, Soho and Fitzrovia.  

The portfolio comprises 599 shops, restaurants, cafés and pubs, extending to 1.1 million sq. ft., 599 apartments and 0.5 million sq. ft. of offices.  All our properties are close to the main West End Underground stations, which currently handle c 228m passenger’s p.a., and are within ten minutes’ walk of the two West End transport hubs for the Elizabeth Line, at Tottenham Court Road and Bond Street, which projections indicate could be handling 200 million passengers annually. 

有关Shaftesbury 

Shaftesbury 在伦敦最有活力的西区（WestEnd）拥有、管理的地产组合总面积达到15.1英亩。这些以餐饮、娱乐和零售为主的地产组合集中于卡纳比大街（Carnaby）、七晷区（Seven Dials）和中国城（Chinatown）区域。同时，Shaftesbury 在科文特花园（Covent Garden）东、西两侧、Soho区和菲茨罗维亚区（Fitzrovia）也拥有大量地产。

Shaftesbury 的地产组合包括共599家商户、餐厅、咖啡厅和酒吧，总面积达到110万平方英尺；此外，Shaftesbury 还拥有599间公寓和50万平方英尺的办公空间。Shaftesbury 的地产不仅全都毗邻伦敦西区的各大地铁站（年客流量达到2.28亿），同时紧邻横贯城铁“伊丽莎白线”（Elizabeth Line）上两个西区交通枢纽站——托特纳姆法院路（Tottenham Court Road）站和邦德街（Bond Street）站均在步行10分钟范围内。据预测，这两个枢纽站每年的接待能力可超2亿人次。