I know there’s a recession and it’s tough for lots of people. Industrial output is down and organisations are making redundancies. Stores are closing everywhere. So with that context, my visit to London’s Westfield mega shopping complex yesterday was like visiting a different planet.
This 150,000m² shopping centre is vast, full of retailers and people seemingly spending money. And you can’t help be impressed by the scale of it, and the quality of it. I avoid shopping malls at all costs but with its Foyles bookshop, Apple store and some refreshingly different and individual international food outlets and cafes, it had a very compelling feel about it.
Maybe it was the Christmas factor, or the fact that it has recently opened or just maybe Westfield has got some recession-busting ingredients to be a success. Either way, my experience there was more like walking through a flash airport terminal than a Monday evening in ‘Recession Britain’.
This 150,000m² shopping centre is vast, full of retailers and people seemingly spending money. And you can’t help be impressed by the scale of it, and the quality of it. I avoid shopping malls at all costs but with its Foyles bookshop, Apple store and some refreshingly different and individual international food outlets and cafes, it had a very compelling feel about it.
Maybe it was the Christmas factor, or the fact that it has recently opened or just maybe Westfield has got some recession-busting ingredients to be a success. Either way, my experience there was more like walking through a flash airport terminal than a Monday evening in ‘Recession Britain’.
picture courtesy Time Out
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