Westfield says mega White City mall won't be 'white elephant'

Australian shopping centre developer Westfield has expressed confidence that its massive White City scheme, which opens in London on Thursday, will be a success despite the fact the UK is heading into recession.

The company expects some 20 million a year to visit the 150,000-m² Westfield London, Europe's largest city shopping centre. 'We have opened centres in times of recession and in times of boom,' Michael Gutman, managing director of Westfield UK & Europe told the media this week. 'Obviously we didn't plan the building for a particular cycle, we planned it for the long-term on the basis of some solid fundamentals.'

Westfield is marketing the EUR 2.1 bn scheme as a 'place to be entertained and to interact: to be, as well as to buy'. Boldly proclaiming that the internet is for purchasing, Westfield says the London centre is for 'trying, tasting, learning and experimenting. Then, of course, spending too.'

The centre covers 17 hectares and features five anchor stores, Debenhams, Next, Marks and Spencer, House of Fraser and Waitrose. There are a further 265 luxury, premium and high-street national and international retailers from 15 courtiers and almost 50 restaurants and eateries.

Westfield London also features a central Atrium with glass roof for arts and educational events. A 14-screen state-of-the-art cinema, gym and spa will open in 2009, and there will be a new library for the local community.

'Customers' craving for convenience and desire for indulgence will be met by a 70-strong concierge and valet team trained to 5-star hotel standard. Services designed to make the experience compelling and comfortable include personal shopping, style advice, hands-free shopping and valet parking,' Westfield said.

Four underground stations will provide on average a tube every 5 minutes, while two bus stations will provide, on average, a bus a minute. Cycle bays, secure pedestrian routes and 4,500 car parking spaces directly beneath Westfield London complete the transport picture. Westfield said.

The construction of the centre was a mammoth task. It took 13 million man-hours to build and enough concrete was used to fill 117 Olympic swimming pools.