Westfield Stratford City opens
Jeremy Hunt hails economic legacy from 2012 Games as £1.8 billion retail gateway to Olympic park officially opens.
The new Westfield Stratford City mall is “a key part of the 2012-driven regeneration of East London,” Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said earlier today as he joined Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Westfield Chairman Frank Lowy and music artist Nicole Scherzinger (pictured) to see the iconic shopping centre opens its doors to the public for the first time.
“Six years ago this site was just unsightly landfill, now it is Europe’s biggest shopping centre - a fantastic gateway to the Olympic Park,” said Mr Hunt. “Westfield brings welcome investment and jobs and represents a massive vote of confidence in East London. It’s not only a clear symbol of the legacy we’re creating for this part of London, it will also be a major beneficiary as wider regeneration brings more prosperity and opportunity to the area.”
Olympic gateway
Westfield Stratford City has over 300 shops (including a flagship John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose) and over 70 places to dine, plus a 17-screen Vue cinema, bowling alley and casino. The development - which has direct access to Stratford International station - also includes three hotels and 130,000 square feet of office space which is the first phase of a total of 1.1 million square feet office precinct and 1,200 residential dwellings which will be developed after the 2012 Olympic Games.