Request ID: FOI-2078-2324 Date published: 10 October 2023
You asked
On 15 September, TfL announced it had partially rebranded Bond Street station to Burberry Street in a commercial sponsorship agreement.
Please could you provide me with any documents and correspondence you hold relating to:
• the ideation and approval process that resulted in this rebranding
• any equality impact assessment (EIA) carried out assessing the impact of this rebranding
• any document(s) you hold relating to the extent of this rebranding - for example, scoping which roundels, route maps and other signage would be rebranded
• any concerns which were raised internally or externally about the impact of this change on passengers before it went live
• the number of complaints recorded by TfL related to this change
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-2078-2324
Thank you for your request received on 18 September 2023 asking for information about the renaming of Bond Street Station to ‘Burberry Street’.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked for:
• The ideation and approval process that resulted in this rebranding
The Commercial Partnerships Team contact brands with ideas and proposals to generate income for TfL. Examples of previous work can be found on our website:
We have successfully delivered temporary renaming of a stations with brands in recent years so this is a proven idea.
In terms of the Burberry activations specifically, the Commercial Partnerships Team developed a proposal themed around London Fashion Week (London Fashion Week proposal attached) which they presented to a number of fashion brands including Burberry.
In the discussions with Burberry about this, they suggested that they would like to run a station rename at Bond Street during London Fashion Week. The Commercial Partnerships Team discussed the idea internally and conducted a site visit at the station and developed a sales proposal for Burberry setting out their idea (Burberry Station Rename proposal attached).
This document was developed in collaboration with station staff and approved by internal stakeholders prior to being shared with Burberry. In accordance with our obligations under Data Protection legislation some personal data has been removed, as required by section 40(2) of the FOI Act. This is because disclosure of this personal data would be a breach of the legislation, specifically the first principle of Article 5 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation which requires all processing of personal data to be fair and lawful. It would not be fair to disclose this personal information when the individuals have no expectation it would be disclosed and TfL has not satisfied one of the conditions which would make the processing ‘fair’.
This exemption to the right of access to information is an absolute exemption and not subject to an assessment of whether the public interest favours use of the exemption.
• Any equality impact assessment (EIA) carried out assessing the impact of this rebranding
An answer to this was issued in response to a recent, similar FOI request which can be seen here:
• Any document(s) you hold relating to the extent of this rebranding - for example, scoping which roundels, route maps and other signage would be rebranded
Please see the ‘Burberry Street proposal’ referred to above, which details the agreed extent of the re-branding is attached.
• Any concerns which were raised internally or externally about the impact of this change on passengers before it went live
Consideration had been given to the impact of this change on passengers during the comprehensive site visit and were reflected in the extent of the changes made. For this activation, wayfinding, and signage for exits and routes to other lines was unchanged apart from a small Burberry sign added onto one of the Elizabeth line exits nearest to the Burberry’s Bond Street store. Not all roundels were changed. Corridor and Cross track roundels were unchanged and remained Bond Street.
Signage within trains, including the in-car digital displays which show what the next station is, and route maps within the trains were not changed as part of the temporary rename. There were also on train announcements letting customers know that Bond Street station had been renamed to Burberry Street to celebrate London Fashion week.
• The number of complaints recorded by TfL related to this change
Between 15-19 September, there were 57 complaints received by the Customer Contact Centre. In addition we received 15 FOI requests on this topic during the same period.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal. Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
