Westfield London expects record summer

Sales from Chinese visitors rose 2.4% in the first quarter of 2018, with sales from Middle Eastern and Northern African visitors continuing to increase. The shopping centre saw an average spend per customer of more than £500 in the first three months of the year. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE were highlighted as the top three spending Middle Eastern countries.

Westfield London said it has attracted more than 40 first-to-UK retailers since opening in 2008 and continues to do so with the latest new retailers making their debut in the expansion.

Westfield Square is a new events space which will be hosting dining and entertainment experiences throughout the summer and 2018. The square is one of the focal points of the expansion and is adjacent to Wood Lane and White City tube stations. It will feature themes for each month - June is music month, July is summer of sport, August is colour month and September is design month.

Primark has also debuted a 70,000 sq ft new store, which the group said was the second most requested retailer by Westfield London customers after John Lewis, which opened its doors in March.

“The £600m expansion of Westfield London has allowed us to diversify our offering so that we appeal to more international visitors than ever before,” said Myf Ryan, CMO europe and group director of brand and strategic marketing for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield.

“This latest investment in Westfield London is testimony to its strength over the past 10 years, with the centre continuing to experience high retail demand for space from luxury, high street and innovative brands looking to house the very latest in retail, dining, leisure and entertainment.”

The additional new stores and restaurants will bring the total number to 450 outlets over the course of the year, with 1,000 additional parking spaces being created.

The shopping centre group revealed over half a billion visitors have been welcomed across the two London centres in the past 10 years, generating more than £15bn in sales.