Westfield Stratford City marks first birthday and 47m shoppers with fun

Kay Atwal, Chief Reporter Friday, September 28, 2012
10:00 AM

Shoppers at Westfield helped the retail mecca mark its first year of trading with fun family activities and offers at a number of stores during the weekend.

Children queuing up for performers in Westfield Stratford City. Picture: G-Fonne Photography.

Children and grown ups enjoyed the entertainment which included a circus complete with dancers, jugglers, magicians and birthday cakes. The celebrations kicked off on Friday and lasted throughout the weekend.

There were complimentary cakes for the first thousand guests with some getting busy with decorating their own while others tucked into sugary treats from the popcorn and candy floss machine.

Shoppers also had a taste of events due to happen at the centre this autumn and winter including film premieres, celebrity shoppers and music performances.

Although the weekend marked the mall’s first birthday it also saw it return to normal after the Olympics by re-opening all its car parks on Saturday after they were closed before the start of the London 2012 Games.

Olympics themed posters on the side of the bridge connecting Westfield to Stratford were also removed.

Since the 1.9 million sq ft shopping mecca opened its doors to the public on September 13 last year, Westfield has attracted a staggering 47million shoppers and notched up £500million in sales in its first six months.

It also attracted 8.5 million visits during the Olympics and Paralympics. Ticket holders, shoppers and athletes took advantage of the 30 per cent increase in trading hours, giving Westfield and its retailers unprecedented exposure to a global audience.