please empty your brain below
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Westfield Shephers's bush is one of the most depressing shopping experiences I have ever known. Don't people have better things to do than spend a day wandering round gawping at clothes and overpiced accessories? Yes, there are a few other shops, but Colchester has a perfectly good Waitrose, M&S, Apple Store, etc. etc.
From my experience last year, there is nothing in Westfield that can't be purchased in a good high street of a large town/city, and plenty of stuff you can't buy at all, which means a trip to the local retail park or internet search.
Max Roberts | Homepage | 14.03.11 - 7:04 a.m. | #
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Word of warning to anyone thinking of driving to Westfield Stratford. If the parking charges are the same as in Shepherd's Bush expect to pay £9.80 for TWO hours parking!
peewit | Homepage | 14.03.11 - 7:05 a.m. | #
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You've got the fit-out period to look forward to, too. Hundreds of shop-fitters and merchandisers descending on the place in the months leading up to launch.
At White City, they all had an 8am start time, so clogged up the Central Line just as I was trying to get to work. It was particularly fun on a Sunday, when it meant standing all the way from Bethnal Green.
martin | Homepage | 14.03.11 - 8:35 a.m. | #
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I have been into Westfields Mall at Shepherds Bush on 3 occasions. 1st the day it opened to watch Boris Johnson in action.
2nd to show some French guests around.
3rd time was to us the toilet.
I have friends who live near Westfields Shepherds Bush and they never shop there, they use Morrisons in the old shopping Centre, or Sainsburys at the top of Ladbroke Grove.
However the shoppers come from somewhere, although no one I know shops there.
I expect I shall go and visit Westfield Mall, Stratford when it opens, just to look inside.
I rather like the original shopping centre at Stratford, and I remember it from before it was roofed over. Always get good fruit there.
Tourists in Oxford Street will soon be able to jump on to a Central Line train and be heading to a Westfield Mall whichever way they go.
To my surprise the cinemas in the "old" Shepherds Bush shopping centre have stayed in business despite having the new complex with multiple screens just over the road.
It will be interesting to see how the Picture House, Stratford runs after the Multiplex Screens in Westfield Mall open.
John | 14.03.11 - 8:57 a.m. | #
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Goodness, people. It's just a mall. A big one admittedly, but still just a shopping mall.
Shopping malls rarely devastate local business - the mall is an excursion for most people, a day out. Not where the locals do their normal shopping. They devastate businesses *elsewhere*. I know I hardly ever set foot on the horror that is Oxford St (and environs) if I can pick it up in Shepherd's Bush instead now. I imagine it's Regents St/Oxford St that have borne the brunt of it.
Oh and Westfield's actually pretty nice, so far as malls go. It's airy, there's space, you don't feel herded outside of the run up to Christmas. But it's still just a mall.
Chz | 14.03.11 - 9:11 a.m. | #
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Well I for one really like these large shopping malls. The ease to park and shop in comfort is just fantastic. I remember the horrors of shopping in the 50's and early 60's, shop in shop out no self service, no food courts. Give me the pleasure of mall shopping.
Michael | 14.03.11 - 10:11 a.m. | #
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The W12 centre at Shepherds Bush - a quieter version of Stratford mall - seems to be clinging on, but some of Westfield West London's neighbours are still unhappy... http://shepherds-bush.blogspot.com/2010/12/shepherds-bush-in-gridlock-westfield.html
You've reminded me how Greenwich dodged a bullet in losing out on the casino bid for the O2.
darryl | Homepage | 14.03.11 - 11:34 a.m. | #
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Shouldn't it be called Eastfield?
And as for a whopping Waitrose, there's already a Wapping Waitrose (near enough, at St Katherine's Dock).
Ok ok, I'll get my coat....
Noah Fence | 14.03.11 - 3:42 p.m. | #
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East Westfield, what else?
West Westfield isn't all bad. There's a Foyles bookshop, at least there was one when I visited.
Leuconoe | 14.03.11 - 3:52 p.m. | #
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You neglected to mention the super new temporary road from the Lea Interchange, the one we're paying for:)
leedelta | Homepage | 14.03.11 - 6:26 p.m. | #
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I quite like Westfield Shepherd's Bush, it's airy and pleasant inside. It's well located as well, with 2 new bus stations and 3 rail stations, 2 of which are brand new. Much nicer than Brent Cross (my local mall) which is looking it's age...
Mikey C | 14.03.11 - 9:36 p.m. | #
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Like Michael, I remember the horror of shopping for clothes in the late 1950s and the 60s - in Oxford Street the big stores used to close on Saturdays at 1 pm!! No Sunday opening of course. If you were working and couldn't get there at lunch time on a weekday it was so difficult, and the scrum on Saturday mornings was terrible and exhausting.
A great cathedral complex of shopping like Westfield sounds like hell on earth to me, but it takes all sorts...
Very interesting post about a place I wouldn't have known anything about otherwise.
Vivien | 14.03.11 - 10:52 p.m. | #
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