April 2012 Archives

Guest blogger and BCSC's Knowledge and Research Manager, Davinder Jhamat gives her review of Westfield's East London venture.

Today, I have finally managed to make my little trip to Westfield Stratford City.  Given all the hype surrounding this centre when it opened last year, and given I had already missed two opportunities to attend the study tours, I'm pleased to report that the wait was definitely worth it.  

The strength of the offer - whether you are looking for retail, leisure or catering, the complementary open and closed design, its architecture and high rise façades (sorry guys, I am a geek when it comes to architecture), having all the kiddie retailers together, the luxury offer as a separate cluster; this is truly a shopper's paradise.  

Now given I absolutely loathe shopping (I probably shouldn't say that, given the industry I work in), particularly in overcrowded, claustrophobic malls, for me the ultimate shopping experience is enjoying a feeling of space, no queues, easy accessibility, good architecture (did I mention I'm an architecture geek?!), having the complete freedom to dwell at your leisure.  Old habits die hard but from 11.30am to 1.15pm, Westfield Stratford ticked all the boxes for me.   

A few selling points.  Aside from my delight with John Lewis (big fan!), the Hollister shop front is truly unique.  With no visible signage giving any indication of what it is, the façade itself entices you in.  Initially I thought it was a fancy restroom given the separate entrances for the "Bettys" and "Dudes".  Inside you are taken on a journey; the whole experience factor comes into play.  

The catering offer is also of a very high standard.  You can visit all corners of the world on the third floor.  At Indi-go, one has one's palette tickled with one of my favourite delicacies, savoury chaats.  Beautiful.  Also upon entrance, which I forgot to mention sooner, Unze (an Asian footwear retailer) has taken the new step of a taking a store in a shopping centre - something that I had not seen before, but a real coup for the local Asian community.  Clever thinking.  

Leather seating - again a plus point.  What more could a shopper ask for when he (generally it is the men isn't it!) wants to have some time out?  Gentlemen can leave their other halves to mill around, as they take some downtime on such very comfortable seating.  The space and lighting is designed to allow you time and space to catch up with yourself, and re-energise.  A lesson for all - quality seating in a centre really works.

Another big tick in my review is accessibility and the way the scheme integrates with the rest of the town.  You are truly integrated not only with the centre, but with the immediate location.  Whether you arrive by car, public transport or on foot, this offer has truly revived the East End, which was most needed.

And finally the view of the Olympic Park on the top floor.  Mr Westfield definitely picked a prime space to build his centre!  You can barely wait to see the flow of spectators to the park over the summer; it will transform the shopping experience.

Having road tested this scheme, it is definitely up there for me.  Given the Bullring and Merry Hill Centre were what I thought big enough as shopping destinations, Westfield Stratford is a bit of a revelation.  To have a vision of this magnitude but moreover, to deliver a scheme to such a standard is a remarkable feat.  The question is whether we will ever see a scheme of this size built again in the UK.  

Next time I visit, and I most definitely will, a trip to Aspers is in order.  I am intrigued to see what the casino looks like inside.  Might even try my luck at the tables!

Guest blogger Davinder Jhamat, BCSC's Knowledge and Research Manager assesses the latest retailer announcements.

Now, not many things unnerve me, however the news of Sony downsizing and shedding 10,000 jobs globally did slightly shake me on my stool.  

As you can tell, I'm a big Sony fan!  I absolutely adore my 46 inch LED, HD, 3D, Motionflow, etc.  Don't ask me what any of this means... the important thing is that I know how to turn the thing on and off!  Sony sells 20 million TV sets a year.  Did you know that?  So, when a global brand like Sony makes such an announcement that it is restructuring, the alarm bells start to sound.  


In austere times, one naturally seeks cost savings and efficiency gains but 10,000 jobs, which represent 6% of the global workforce, is no small number.  Sony forecast a record annual loss of $6.4bn (£4bn), double its previous estimate.  Its share price has fallen 40% over the past 12 months.  With these sort of figures on the table, it becomes easier to understand why such drastic measures are required.  

Just as shocking is Mothercare announcing that it is downsizing with 111 stores closing, governing a further shudder on my stool.  In response to a 9.5% drop in UK sales, only 200 outlets will now remain in the UK.  A British brand that we have all grown up with, this is probably a bit more personal.  However with its 1,028 overseas outlets, a figure which I confess I was slightly surprised at, trade is clearly doing relatively well overall. Indeed international sales are up by 18%, suggesting that Mothercare's is more a change of focus than the start of another Woolworths-style demise.

The landscape is shifting quite rapidly with both exciting and nervous times ahead -locally and globally.  As retailers grapple with the market, and equally  with the multichannel challenge, some retailers will surface as more exposed than others. This will further govern the downsizing and readjustments of property portfolios and the implications of this are continually coming to light. But how far will it go?  As homebred brands seek new abodes, I feel some assurance can be sought in that, where one brand leaves our shores, others will arrive - every market is governed by supply and demand and as gaps appear, international players will respond to the opportunity.  

In a truly global economy a brand can be as local or as global as one aspires. And in the meantime, I continue to observe from my stool with bated breath, wondering which brand will next make the big restructuring announcement, but also musing on which international stores I can look forward to visiting in the UK soon.