The hugely successful opening of a new brasserie has sealed the revival of a corner of London that was becoming better known for its terrible traffic than its shops and bars.
The launch in Sloane Square this week of Café Colbert, sister restaurant of the Wolseley, will be followed within days by a 200-capacity Mexican-themed bar and restaurant called Tonteria — the latest venture of Prince William’s friend Guy Pelly, the nightclub entrepreneur behind Mahiki and Public.
The basement bar is expected to draw back the children of the original Sloane Rangers who abandoned the square for other nightspots in central London.
Retailers said the Cadogan Estate, the family-owned property company that is the major landlord in Sloane Square, had been instrumental in restoring its swagger by favouring quirky independent brands over familiar high street “clones”.
A key milestone was the summer opening of the first overseas branch of New York fashion brand Rag & Bone — which has Kate Moss as its “face” — in a former HSBC bank.
David Neville, the label’s co-designer and managing partner, said: “We felt the lower end of Sloane Street and, in particular, on the corner where we are on Sloane Square could attract a cooler, more emerging group of designers.
“It’s a really exciting time in the area, especially with Café Colbert opening in the old Oriel’s, which I think will add that weekend, outdoor brasserie atmosphere.”
Other new arrivals include a flagship branch of stationer and handbag store Smythson, which has Samantha Cameron as a consultant, at the south end of Sloane Street. It will take over a store formerly occupied by knitwear brand Pringle.
Even department store Peter Jones says it has seen a dramatic shift in the mix of customers — hastened by the impact of TV’s Made In Chelsea reality show. Tony Wheeler, the store’s managing director, said: “There is no doubt about it we’re getting far more young professionals in. The biggest part of the customer segregation now are under 40, and most under 35.
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“They are the educated urbanites who are attracted to iconic names like the Saatchi gallery nearby and the really contemporary brands. There are still the ladies who lunch and that’s brilliant, we want them too, but there is definitely a really exciting feel about the area.”
