First we had the American candy shops, then came the wizarding merch.
You might have noticed there are a lot of wizard and witch-themed shops around central London these days; there are currently at least seven knock-off Harry Potter shops in London’s most touristy areas, selling everything from chocolate frogs for £7.99 a pop, Hedwig toys and Hogwarts-themed pens. Nobody knew quite where they came from, but suddenly over the past few years, unofficial Harry Potter stores have appeared all over Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.
Now, an investigation by London Centric has revealed the shocking truth behind these Harry Potter shops.
Similar to what happened with the American candy stores, and in some cases taking over the exact same retail units, the report by Jim Waterson alleged that one of these businesses could owe Westminster council as much as £400,000 in unpaid taxes. The report also alleged that many of the shops aren’t charging the standard 20 percent VAT sales tax, meaning legitimate shops in the area are unable to keep up with these rogue traders, being driven out.
In short, all of this dodgy dealing is driving down the quality of shops on Oxford Street and surrounding areas, which are supposed to be prime shopping locations.
Leader of Westminster council Adam Hug told London Centric: ‘The council worked hard to turn the tide against candy stores which have in many cases been selling unsafe and illegal goods. We want Oxford Street and the West End to be a high-quality offering of attractive brand names and experiences, not a glut of tourist tat.’
He added: ‘If Harry Potter stores are proven to have been breaking the law, they will experience the same treatment that unscrupulous traders get anywhere in Westminster – the prospect of legal action by HMRC.’
In the full investigation, Waterson and his colleagues tracked down the owner of some of these stores. What unfolded was pretty wild. We recommend subscribing to the London Centric newsletter here to read the whole story.
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