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Have Your Say: Westfield
London’s newest shopping centre, Westfield in White City, has barely been open a week and it’s already hitting the headlines. What with the lavish opening ceremony – Leona Lewis, champagne, and Boris Johnson urging Londoners to splash their cash in the run up to Christmas and help lift the city’s troubled economy – and nearby Shepherd’s Bush station being forced to close due to overcrowding on the first Saturday of trading, as yet it has been more about the circumstances than the shops.
It’s not surprising though – despite Boris’s assertions that London shoppers should “invest in Christmas presents” to beat the gloomy outlook, the circumstances aren’t great. This has to be one of the worst times for a shopping centre to open. Originally conceived 20 years ago, press reports say that Westfield is opening amongst the worst retail conditions in nearly 20 years. And with words like ‘recession’ and ‘credit crunch’ dominating the headlines – do Londoners really need another place to spend spend spend?
OK, it’s creating new jobs, but the £1.6 billion spent is a lot of money that could probably have been spent on a lot of things. And what are shoppers getting for that money? A very large shopping centre with lots of chain shops. It’s like Oxford Street indoors – and while for many that’s a good thing, saving us from the uncertainty of the weather and the lunacy of London drivers – it does seem that despite the cinema, the restaurants and bars and the luxury shopping ‘village’, we’re not really getting anything new from it.
But with Marks & Spencer executive chairman Sir Stuart Rose admitting it may take some trade from their Oxford Street and Kensington stores – not to mention people who are worried about the effect on their local markets – there’s no question that shoppers will flock to the place. It’s convenient, it’s got everything in one place, it’s protected from the weather – and I’m sure I’ll enjoy visiting the 50 or so bars and restaurants as much as the next person. But I can’t help but think – before it was finished, few were desperate for it. Now we’ve got it, though, in a few years we’ll wonder how we coped without it... and that’s a worrying thought.
Love it or hate it? Whether you’re a big fan of high street shopping or can’t bear the thought of those independent shops losing out, have your say here...
I thought the station was closed due a faulty escalator, not due to over crowding........
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A prefect marriage of modern architecture and fashion, the Westfield Shopping centre is Westfield Group’s magnum opus, constructed around an expansive area of 1.6 million sq feet. It opened with a 99% let status, and delivers a five-star shopping experience, promised by the group before the shopping centre was inaugurated.
Marks & Spencer’s, NEXT, Debenhams are some of the high street names, who have grabbed on to the opportunity of being a part of the largest shopping mall in London, along with House of Fraser, Habitat etc, totalling up to 280 shops along with up to 50 bars, restaurants and trendy and casual eating joints.
Westfield London has been constructed in an environmentally friendly manner, with a roof constructed from bio-diverse material offering natural insulation; the timber has been used from sustainable resources along with recycled materials. Rain water harvesting has also been harvested in the design providing sufficient scope for water separation and recycling.
Westfield London is as impressive looking outside as it is inside. The relaxed, laid-back ambience of a Mediterranean square has been recreated with a 300 meter undisturbed strip of restaurants with a beautiful water feature and lush gardens at one end, a canopy at the other.
Majority of the shops are housed in a central hub- The Atrium, equivalent of football pitch in size. It is divided into sections by 16 metre malls carved out stylishly from marble with ornamental swirls of granite.
‘The Village’ is an enclave like section, home to 40 most exclusive and desirable brands like Tiffany & Co, DeBeers, and Louis Vuitton. It’s a salon-styled space decorated tastefully with glittering chandeliers, giving a lounge like feel with it’s floor to ceiling shop windows and a champagne bar, creating the perfect environment to indulge into luxury shopping.
Anyone tired from all the shopping or just looking around can be enticed gastronomically towards a variety of restaurants, pubs and culinary counters located in The Balcony, The Loft or the Southern Terrace.
Westfield London can provide a truly enjoyable experience to visitors irrespective of the purpose of their visit, whether it is to buy early Christmas presents, treat a loved one to something special or just forget about the credit crunch and have a walk in the lap of luxury.
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