Westfield Stratford City, now Europe’s largest urban shopping mall, opened its doors last week in the Stratford district of northeast London.
The 1.9 million-square-foot shopping mecca will welcome visitors to the area, as it adjoins the site of the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games. With over 300 stores, 70 restaurants, a theater, casino and hotel, the super-sized mall aims to appeal to all age groups and genders.
The massive shopping complex is anchored by equally huge department stores: upmarket U.K. department store John Lewis incorporates 240,000 square feet, while high-street chain Marks & Spencer takes up 200,000 square feet.
Several luxury brands are clustered around an open air indoor high street that surrounds the main part of the mall, while the lower ground floor houses the Great Eastern Market, where delicatessens, bakeries, florists and chocolatiers ply their wares.
In addition to welcoming visitors and providing shopping opportunities for residents, the mall is being credited with creating 10,000 new jobs for the area, including 2,000 long-term positions for previously unemployed locals.