The 43-acre mall in Shepherd's Bush boasts stores from international brands like Prada, Chanel and Valentino, major US firms including Apple, Nike, and Gap, as well as "anchor" stores from the likes of Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Next.
Many of the 265 shops at the £1.7 billion development are expected to offer deep discounts on the first day of trading, and Westfield's operators say they have put measures in place to deal with huge crowds. Westfield also contains a 14-screen cinema, 50 restaurants, a gym, a spa and a library under its undulating, energy-efficient roof. Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, is officially opening the centre, which is expected to attract 25 million shoppers every year despite the financial downturn. 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. Around 85 per cent of Westfield's shops are opening today, as some are still not yet complete for video clik following link http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1529573275/bctid1889922434 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/thatha_patty?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
