Friday 31 October 2008

East Side! West Side!

No, despite the title, I am not about to 'big up the Staines massive' because this post isn't in fact about Ali G!....So I don't really know why I went with the title: sorry about that!

It is (vaguely) relevant though, because this post is about the most exciting local news story of the week. More exciting than elections, credit crunches, or russell brand's potty mouth. This post is about the new Westfield Mall in West London (the westside, get it?)! Yay!




The whole "doing all your shopping in one custom made location" concept is more an American one than a European one, and the new mall is officially the largest in Europe. It comprises over 265 stores, nearly 50 "eating concepts" (I think that means restaurants!) and soon a cinema, gym, and spa. Here are some more facts about Westfield:

- It took 13 million man-hours to build

- Construction used enough concrete to fill 117 Olympic swimming pools

- There are 96 escalators

- Some 7,000 jobs will be created

- 80% of shops specialise in fashion

- Retails come from at least 15 different countries

- And over 20 million people are expected to visit each year.


Don't you feel better for knowing all that!? No, me neither! 'The village', which is what they are calling the premium shopping area, isn't open yet, which is a shame. This will comprise such stores as Dior, Louis Vuitton; all the premium stores you'd get in an american mall really! However all your highstreet favs are open and alot of the stores are bigger than their oxford street counterparts, meaning more choice for your money!


Yesterday was the opening day of the centre, and Leona Lewis (of Xfactor "fame") was the star of the show. There was also a fashion show on the main stage, and a plethora of famous faces turned up to snip the ribbons in some of the flagship stores:

Danni Minogue in Next

Twiggy and Erin O'connor at M&S

I haven't been yet (my sister and I are going on Monday) but for those who can't wait for a sneak peek, here is a "walk around" of the inside of the mall:






I particularly love this guys bitter grumbling commentary: it reminds me of my boyfriend shopping on a good day!
Roll on Monday, when I get to experience all of the magic firsthand!

Love, Tor x

4 comments:

Make Do Style said...

Catchy post title it lured me in!

Katy said...

Cool stuff, but when malls flop I feel very sad, I just hope that it won't flop but people won't blindly waste money there either.

Susie Bubble said...

This has sort of passed me by as I was abroad but I'm not really that excited still...why take that terrible Hammersmith line ALL the way out there to find shops that I can find in Central London?

Tricia said...

Erin! dumb, but I'm always so happy to see pics of Erin O'Connor.