The O2 celebrates best ever Easter, with significant boost to leisure

The O2 has reported a record-breaking Easter period following an impressive Q1 and continues to excel as a destination of choice for brands and consumers alike. Leisure has proven to be a standout category, bolstered by the recent success of Activate, which has welcomed almost 70,000 visitors since opening in December.

A bumper Easter break

• Following the destination’s Q1 success, which saw a sales uplift of 7 percent vs Q1 2024 across the whole scheme, The O2 has surpassed previous years during the Easter half-term (5th April – 21st April), reporting a record-breaking 14 percent uplift in sales and a staggering 16 percent rise in footfall compared to half-term in 2024 (29th March – 14th April).

Leisure leaps forward 

• The O2’s fully leased Entertainment District benefited significantly from the destination’s upsurge in half-term footfall, hitting record-breaking figures with a 14 percent increase in sales compared to half-term in 2024.
• Easter weekend (18th April – 21st April) also recorded a stellar trading period, with a 17 percent increase in sales vs Easter weekend in 2024 (29th March – 1st April). Leisure once again stood out as a record-breaking category within the destination’s Entertainment District, experiencing a 27 percent sales uplift vs 2024’s Easter weekend as consumers continue to revel in the popularity of competitive socialising, driven by the likes of TOCA Social, BOOM BATTLE BAR, and The O2’s newest addition, Activate.
• The O2 has been instrumental in delivering a successful location for Activate’s first UK site, demonstrating its position as the go-to destination for debut leisure concepts. Activate has welcomed almost 70,000 visitors since launching, with 10,000 attending over the Easter half term, bolstered by The O2’s impressive day-to-night offer, and has outperformed the operator’s 60 other locations in North America, Canada, and Dubai, becoming Activate’s most successful site to date.

Site-wide success

• Following Activate’s lead, the Entertainment District also experienced strong sales uplifts across F&B during the Easter half-term, with cafés and sweet treat vendors performing strongly with a 28 percent increase vs Easter half-term in 2024, and confectionery up 19 percent. This coincides with the recent opening of Rodeo Doughnuts, which has brought a delectable selection of regular, gluten-free, and vegan doughnuts to the destination.
• The success of the Entertainment District during Easter half-term was also reflected in Outlet Shopping at The O2, which saw sales increase by 14 percent vs Easter half-term last year, with standout retail categories including footwear, accessories, and sportswear.

Janine Constantin-Russell, Managing Director of the Entertainment District and Outlet Shopping at The O2, commented: “Easter has consistently delivered YOY growth as one of our busiest trading periods across the destination, and we’re proud that this trend has continued this year with our record-breaking half-term and standout Easter Weekend results. The success of our leisure offering is a direct result of us listening to consumers and working collaboratively with operators to deliver the very best experience – this is perfectly demonstrated with our newest addition of Activate, where we’ve not only diversified our offer further, but also brought something new to the UK market. We never sit still at The O2, and these results couldn’t be more reflective of that.”

Richard Beese, Co-Founder of We Do Play, owners of Activate, commented: “The strength of The O2’s Easter performance reminds us once more why we selected the destination for Activate’s UK debut. As competitive socialisation continues to incline, we anticipate that Activate will only generate more momentum. If our performance to date is anything to go by, we are looking ahead to a very strong home here at The O2.”

Photo credit: Luke Dyson.