Since the Grand Opening of the new Westfield Stratford City, many have claimed that the East End of London does not need a new shopping centre and that the new giant mall will struggle to survive during the recession. However, the new Westfield Stratford City has been very busy since day one and figures published after the first week of trading reveal that £20m have been spent in the first week at Westfield Stratford City.

This confirms that London has been more resilient to the recession than the rest of the UK and that a new giant shopping centre in East London can be successful. Shoppers have flooded to Stratford in their thousands during this first week of trading and shops such as John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Forever 21 have been extremely busy. In fact, security guards had to step in to regulate the flow of shoppers coming at the weekend as the new Westfield mall was so busy.

The day after the grand opening, it was reported that £4 million had been spent on day one and that 160,000 visitors had attended the launch. Since then, the shopping centre has been busy and local residents in Stratford and the East End are delighted to have the new facilities on their doorstep.

The 1.9m sq ft mall not only offers over 300 shops but is also a great place to eat out or enjoy a drink, a movie or a game of bowling.

John Burton, Director of Westfield Stratford City, said: “The trading has been excellent!”. This is not only great for Westfield and the British economy, but it’s also a great sign of things to come for the East End of London.