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Westfield @ Shepherds Bush

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tigerroar

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Anyone been for a look around?

I went there on Tuesday for a quick look around, what a fantastic place but full of absolute luxuries!

No wonder town centres are dying with places like that!!!!
 
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ushawk

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Its a great place, but yet this is even dwarfed by the other Westfield in Stratford.

Its totally changed the local area and has brought so many extra people to the area, and from a rail perspective - increased WLL footfall by a huge amount !!
 

WestCoast

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I usually find those type of centres rather mundane, but I was actually quite impressed with Westfield in Stratford (which I believe is similar to the one at Shepherd's Bush).

I thought it had a very modern and classy interior, with an especially interesting array of food shops (the Japanese grocery story was intriguing to say the least!).

Beats the Trafford Centre with its tacky imitation baroque finish and lack of direct rail or tram link...:eek:
 

Clip

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Not been to the one in Shepherds bush yet but the one in stratford is full of loads of people walking round not buying anything.

The on redeeming feature is 'Tap East' downstairs by the entrance to International - great selection of draught beers from around the world and loads of international beers too. They even have their own micro brewery there and I can often be found nursing a pint there after a long hard day at work :)
 

SwindonPkwy

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WestCoast said:
Beats the Trafford Centre with its tacky imitation baroque finish and lack of direct rail or tram link...:eek:

I couldn't agree more. Whenever I am in the North West I much prefer Liverpool to Manchester.
Westfield in Shepherd's Bush is impressive and a demonstration of how to integrate developments with public transport. On one visit I went out of my way to arrive by Overground. I can't say that I've spent that much in The Village so far!!
 

ChristopherJ

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Been in both the Shepherds Bush and Stratford City Westfield shopping centres. Until last year I lived only 4 minutes walk away from Stratford City!

I was in Stratford City on the very first day it opened last year, I'll never complain that a tube train at peak hour is crush loaded. It was so packed that at one point I was almost toppled over the railing by the sheer force of people trying to maneuver around me!

Best places in Westfield are the food courts, I am addicted to Tortilla for their burritos! Wouldn't buy anything else in there - not paying up to £400 for a jacket or a pair of Jeans... :roll:

Got speaking to a very nice man at Joe Deluccis who handed me a VIP discount card - so always worth going in just for the cheap Gelati. :D :D :D
 

Mojo

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The one at Shepherds Bush is a bit more spacious; even when it was quite new before the Stratford one opened I didn't find it to be too crowded. I find the Stratford one a bit harder to get around and a lot more crowded, but it does have better shops not available at the Shepherds Bush one, such as Waitrose/John Lewis.
 

All Line Rover

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Westfield London (Shepherd's Bush) is the best. The food courts in particular. The architecture is fantastic, the BBC's orchestra often plays there (which makes sense seeing as the BBC is on the opposite side of the road :lol:) and there are a wide variety of more exotic shops.

Westfield Stratford I dislike, as it's just another mega-mall. The layout is a complete imitation of the Trafford Centre (one large shop at either end, with a curved walkway between them), the shops are mundane (there is a PC WORLD, for goodness sake! :roll: :lol:) and it's far too congested. The only credit I'll give Stratford is the Premier Inn. It is a fantastic hotel. All the more brilliant if you don't mind paying £9.80 a day to use the Southeastern high-speed service, allowing you to get from St Pancras to the hotel entrance within about 10 minutes.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
No wonder town centres are dying with places like that!!!!

Town centres are dying primarily because of internet shopping, not shopping centres. The main reason why certain shopping centres are thriving is because they offer an altogether different experience to online shopping. For example, Westfield London's food court is something that cannot be replicated online.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Beats the Trafford Centre with its tacky imitation baroque finish and lack of direct rail or tram link...:eek:

I completely agree, it's far too tacky. Although I would visit more often if they built a tram to the place!
 
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jon0844

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As people find they have less money to spend (or don't feel safe to spend what they have), I've noticed that more and more people aren't shopping to buy things - but go out and eat, drink (as in have a coffee/cake/sandwich, not get drunk) and socialise in the day.

Add in the people who are on their lunch break, and I think that most town centres will probably end up with very few shops and just fight it out for the people who spend their disposable income on food/drink.

No wonder the food courts do so well, and the likes of Starbucks/Nero/Costa are always busy. I admit that I'll now sit down and spend far too much money on a coffee to sit and relax, play with my phone (maybe enjoying the free Wi-Fi) or pull out my laptop if I'm working. I rarely go into the shops themselves, and if I buy stuff then I am more likely to order online or know what I want in advance and just go to that shop to pick it up, pay and leave.

No browsing or any of that nonsense!!
 

tbtc

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Its amazing how busy there are when there's a recession on - obviously enough people are buying these expensive things to keep the shops open (it's not *just* browsers) - must be on a different planet though
 

Max

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I went to Westfield Stratford on the second day it was open and I was pretty impressed, decent choice of shops, although perhaps a bit more 'mainstream' than some of the offerings at Shepherd's Bush? My local shopping centre is Meadowhall and I find it very bland and commercialised, although I will admit that they have done an excellent job refurbishing the dining area recently.
 
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