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A global poll has ranked Oxford Street as the best place in the world for "affordable fashion". The West End had been on its knees for years with tatty tourist shops and sport outlets cluttering the one and half mile strip, but a concerted effort by business groups, the chambers of commerce and retailers to clean up the area has seen shoppers flooding back. Jessica Price Brown, editor of Drapers, said: "For a fashion company to be taken seriously on the global stage it really must have a presence in London. Some 50 million international tourists shop Oxford Street, so it truly is a shop window to the world." 89% of the 50,000 fashion professionals polled by industry magazine Drapers said Oxford Street was best overall. New York's Fifth Avenue, the Champs-Elysées in Paris, Milan's Via Torino and Tokyo's Omotesando were easily beaten. Mayor Boris Johnson said: "It's no surprise to me that Oxford Street is top of the pile. Where else can you find impossibly elegant designer wear from across the globe mixing with vibrant high street fashion?" Oxford Street stood out on the number of brands, affordability, "translating catwalk to shop floor", and designer collaborations. It now has 67 flagship outlets for brands such as Nike, Gap and Uniqlo, with 2.6 million shoppers a week and £6billion a year spent. Jace Tyrrell of the New West End company, which represents traders said: "Over the next few years Oxford Street is set to see an additional 250,000 square feet of space, making this the largest influx of retail over the past 50 years." Photo - Wikipedia
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