The looming crisis facing cities in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic has been underlined by new data that shows the number of people on London’s West End shopping streets is still only a third of normal levels. The figures came as the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, warned the capital faced an “existential threat” from the pandemic. Eight weeks after all shops were allowed to reopen in England after a three-month lockdown, footfall in London’s West End remains 63% down on 2019 levels, according to the latest data from New West End Company, which represents 600 businesses across Oxford Street, Bond Street, Regent Street and Mayfair. One in 10 Londoners are employed in the West End area, and without a boost to consumer confidence the capital’s premier shopping area is facing job losses of 50,000 and lost annual sales of more than £5bn, the NWEC warned. Footfall had been rising slowly in the West End since the reopening of non-essential shops on 15 June but has since plateaued. Research carried out on behalf of the group has revealed only one in four Londoners feel confident about travelling on public transport, which is key for retailers in central London. The West End is also usually a prime destination for overseas tourists, but only a small fraction of the usual numbers are in London this year. Half of the West End’s £10bn a year turnover comes from tourists. Retailers say their stores in big city centres are struggling most in areas where they pay huge rents and business rates for flagship stores. Jace Tyrrell, the NWEC’s chief executive, said the problem was that shoppers now preferred to stay close to home: “It’s very local at the moment, which is great, but for the big city centres like us, Birmingham and Manchester, we’ve got a real challenge … What we miss is the office worker and the London visitor. It’s really precarious.” He said if shopper numbers did not start to pick up quickly, and if business rates went up again next year, “you could look at hundreds of stores that could downsize or move out of the area”. He called on the government to extend the business rates holiday for another year, and on the mayor to offer free travel into the city centre. “We [the West End] normally pay £1bn in business rates. Some businesses are paying more in rates than in rent.” Khan and the deputy mayor for business, Rajesh Agrawal, met a number of retailers including representatives from Selfridges, Hackett, Uniqlo, Arcadia and Schuh on Thursday to hear how they have fared during the pandemic. Khan said: “For decades central London has been the economic engine of the UK, a cultural powerhouse and a gateway for global tourism to the UK. But it now faces a real existential threat from the Covid-19 pandemic. “Until we have an operational vaccine in place social distancing will have to continue to protect people’s health, and with employers planning to continue homeworking well into next year, the numbers of people visiting the West End will be reduced for many months ahead. “As mayor I’m doing all within my powers to help. This includes providing loans and funding directly to small businesses and ensuring TfL’s unprecedented range of safety and hygiene measures mean more passengers are now able to travel on London’s public transport network.” With the compulsory use of face masks and the government’s eat out to help out scheme – a half-price meal offer between Monday and Wednesday throughout August – 43% of consumers polled by NWEC said they would be confident in visiting retail stores. However, only 23% are confident using public transport, such as the underground. While this figure has increased by 5% since the easing of lockdown started in May, 74% of UK consumers surveyed said they were unlikely to visit central London in the next month. Taking a car into London, meanwhile, has become an increasingly expensive option as the mayor battles to reduce emissions and congestion. Since June, motorists driving into central London have faced a £15 congestion charge imposed 24 hours a day and seven days a week, and those with older cars pay an additional £12.50 emissions charge.