Oxford Street sweeter – with fewer shops empty or selling candy

HMV’s new shop at 363 Oxford Street. The retailer returned in November following a four-year absence from the West End shopping mecca. Photograph: James McCauley/HMV/PA

Oxford Street has begun to bounce back, with the proportion of vacant shops down by 40% and almost a fifth of its troublesome candy and souvenir shops now closed.

The revival of the central London shopping street has been spurred by a mix of factors, including the full reopening of Tottenham Court Road station at its eastern end and last May’s official launch of the Elizabeth line, which stops there, a bounce back in tourist visitors, from the UK and elsewhere, and a concerted effort by Westminster council to take action against American candy stores.