Olympics and business

[Bruce Wayne]

I think this merits a seperate thread to the main one as it's not really about the sport, but there seems an overwhelming feeling that the Olympics has been terrible for business here in London.

We were told that traffic and transport during the Games would be atrocious, yet if anything it's been quieter than normal over the last week. Local businesses are reporting their worst trading of the year.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ol...ming-Olympics-minister-tells-empty-shops.html

How the heck can this be when the event was supposed to attract over a million new people? I know in Greenwich near me the local shops have been complaining that Locog have erected barriers to funnel spectators directly from the park to the stations, thus preventing anyone from going into the local shops (and of course shops are banned from advertising or leafletting them as they walk past), but figured that central London would still see a brisk trade as fans do other things whilst here. Doesn't sound like that's the case at all though.

On a perhaps related note. South West Trains initially banned bikes on their trains for the Olympics, but that's been scrapped now. Makes you wonder if the expected glut of new travellers they clearly expected simply hasn't happened.

 

[Phyllis Stein]

I think this merits a seperate thread to the main one as it's not really about the sport, but there seems an overwhelming feeling that the Olympics has been terrible for business here in London.

We were told that traffic and transport during the Games would be atrocious, yet if anything it's been quieter than normal over the last week. Local businesses are reporting their worst trading of the year.

Stopped reading here as the cabbie strike about the olympic lanes has clearly been an issue. Strikes in other working environments had been outlawed. Lowest common denominator?

 

[Phyllis Stein]

On a perhaps related note. South West Trains initially banned bikes on their trains for the Olympics, but that's been scrapped now. Makes you wonder if the expected glut of new travellers they clearly expected simply hasn't happened.

2 + 2 = ???

 

[chicoazul]

Does seem very peculiar that like. Somebody will be benefiting from all that tourism trade.

The answer probably lies in the neighbourhoods where most of them are accommodated. People are more informed now so the spread of where people are staying will be more widespread, the further from the centre the lesser the cost of hotels etc.

 

[Phyllis Stein]

Does seem very peculiar that like. Somebody will be benefiting from all that tourism trade.

The answer probably lies in the neighbourhoods where most of them are accommodated. People are more informed now so the spread of where people are staying will be more widespread, the further from the centre the lesser the cost of hotels etc.

Airports and Sponsor regions they frequent*

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Stopped reading here as the cabbie strike about the olympic lanes has clearly been an issue. Strikes in other working environments had been outlawed. Lowest common denominator?

2 + 2 = ???

Sorry, it's either too late or you're being too cryptic.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Does seem very peculiar that like. Somebody will be benefiting from all that tourism trade.

The answer probably lies in the neighbourhoods where most of them are accommodated. People are more informed now so the spread of where people are staying will be more widespread, the further from the centre the lesser the cost of hotels etc.

Central London didn't seem any busier yesterday, and I got the bus home and that was both much quieter than usual and an awful lot faster. Does make you wonder.

 

[Phyllis Stein]

Central London didn't seem any busier yesterday, and I got the bus home and that was both much quieter than usual and an awful lot faster. Does make you wonder.

People with tickets at events, people without not bothering to miss the expectant but none materializing queues?

 

[chicoazul]

Central London didn't seem any busier yesterday, and I got the bus home and that was both much quieter than usual and an awful lot faster. Does make you wonder.

The commuter belt is not being used by city types it would seem. The Home Counties will be rolling in it! Will be interesting post game for the third quarter figures. They're expecting a boost from it, but where it's felt should be telling. You've posed an interesting question there and it's doing my head in trying to figure it out.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

The commuter belt is not being used by city types it would seem. The Home Counties will be rolling in it! Will be interesting post game for the third quarter figures. They're expecting a boost from it, but where it's felt should be telling. You've posed an interesting question there and it's doing my head in trying to figure it out.

Well yeah, I mean there was almost 1.5 million people watching the cycling alone, so you'd think that would have generated some income for the Surrey area. Greenwich hasn't done well out of it at all though. It's weird, I've been up to Blackheath common a few times this week, and it's just really quiet, despite having Greenwich park right next door plus the O2 not far away. The only way you'd know something was going on is seeing the odd person in national kit doing their shopping in the local Tesco.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

People with tickets at events, people without not bothering to miss the expectant but none materializing queues?

Maybe it. It would be interesting to see how the Westfield centre has done at Stratford. Given how easy it is to get to central London from the venues though you'd think there would be some spillover, but it does seem like that spillover isn't enough to compensate for the people scared off by the event.

 

[Cena]

Got chatting to some fella's about this when I was there in Tuesday Bruce. I think long term there will be benefits to this but certainly the fear that you should work from home because it will be too busy in London, has cost many businesses at the minute.

Isn't the east end supposed to be doing ok though?

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

If you get a ticket you get with it a tube ticket to get you there..... those trains will be busy but nobody using buses or taxis cos 1/ they have free travel 2/ taxi would only get them so close to the stadiums.

What are local shops gonns sell them ?
you can't take food and drinks in.... IOC/LOCOG have all that boxed off
Souvenirs have to be Licensed as do the shops that sell them...... see above

There has been that much of a buildup to armegeddon and gridlock that would result in people having to kip on the office floor for the duration of the games that workers will have taken holidays and London's 'usual' tourists will be avoiding until after. Given the difficulty in this country of getting tickets there may not be that many foreign visitors that have come, many locals are going to 'any arl' event as it's all they could get, but you just wouldnt be doing that from the other side of the world.


What's the uptake on it from venues away from the Olympic Park ? Footy Grounds it's just business as usual I'd imagine but what about the effect of all of those people on the cycle route ? near Lee Valley ? Weymouth ? etc etc
I reckon they will have had the gridlock and the increase in business.
The Olympic Park is designed to extract your money.... not outside it.

 

[linglong]

Im not following the Olympics but i do find this interesting i wonder given the economic climate has kept people away?

But i thought this event was going to pretty much kick start the great recovery with all the money being spent by all these masses of people coming in,while im sure long term the money spent by the tax payer will be recovered but i wonder if there will be a profit worth taking about.

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

Im not following the Olympics but i do find this interesting i wonder given the economic climate has kept people away?

But i thought this event was going to pretty much kick start the great recovery with all the money being spent by all these masses of people coming in,while im sure long term the money spent by the tax payer will be recovered but i wonder if there will be a profit worth taking about.

Expects 'other operating costs.'