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Westfield Shopping Centre is Europe's Newest, Largest Mall
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by Terri Potratz | October 30, 2008 at 12:39 pm
5979 views | 5 Recommendations | 6 comments
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Westfield mall opened October 30, 2008 in London, and is now the largest shopping mall in Europe occupying 43 acres of land. Nearly 300 stores and 50 restaurants are housed beneath its energy-efficient glass roof, in addition to a 14-screen movie theatre, a gym, a spa and a library.
Michael Gutman of the Westfield Group, the Australian company behind the centre, said he was bullish about its prospects despite the imminent recession.
"You wouldn't choose this time, but we've been operating for 50 years and from time to time you open in a boom and from time to time you open in a recession," he said. "We are planning for the long term."
A new overland train station has been constructed to help deal with the huge number of visitors, but locals have warned that shoppers who travel to the centre in their cars could exacerbate congestion problems. The centre has created 4,500 car parking spaces and 570 cycle spaces for those not using public transport.
Major retailers such as Marks & Spencer, Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Apple, Nike, Gap, House of Fraser, and Tiffany & Co. are open for business at Westfield. The main sentiment among retailers seemed to be that the current recession in Britain is a bump in the road that they intend to ride out, and while it wasn't the ideal time to be opening they are in it for the long haul.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (6)
at 13:14 on October 30th, 2008
Terri Potratz, bigger is better, right?
at 22:19 on November 3rd, 2008
Correction: Westfield London is the largest city-centre shopping mall in Europe. The qualification is significant, as it is only the third largest in the UK if you include out of town malls like Bluewater.
at 01:44 on November 4th, 2008
11 a.m. on opening day October 30, 2008 in West London's Westfield Mall. It is now the largest city centre shopping mall in Europe occupying 43 acres of land. Nearly 300 stores and 50 restaurants are housed beneath its energy-efficient glass roof, in addition to a 14-screen movie theatre, a gym, a spa and a library.
bonnevillekid has contributed a photo to this story.
at 14:24 on November 9th, 2008
I found it to be quite horrible. I have no clue how they shoehorned that monstrosity into Shepherd's Bush.
at 11:20 on November 30th, 2008
How did it get there in the first place? What was wrong with Oxford Street and Bluewater?
I read about the congestion and how awful that was. I think I would get a massive migraine if I went there. I may go just to experience the awfulness for an hour!
at 11:20 on November 30th, 2008
Imagine what it is like at Christmas and the queues for the loos too!