A David and Goliath Battle.....

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but Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre is more than holding its own

Westfield opened a year ago and many feared that it'd be the death knell for local shopping centres, but Ealing appears to be proving the harbingers of doom wrong.

Next year another big name high street store will be joining the line up at Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre, proving local is still very popular.

Legal & General Property, majority owners of the site, has announced that fashion chain New Look will be joining the centre in 2010.

This latest deal completes a series of high profile retail lettings with fashion brands like River Island, Primark and most recently H&M joining the shopping centre over the last 15 months.

Westfield completed its first year of trading at the end of October and announced a record 23 million visitors, but this doesn't seem to be at Ealing's expense.

Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre was built in 1984, in conjunction with Land Securities and the London Borough of Ealing, and was fully refurbished in 2001/2002. 

It has seen increases in customers (footfall) even since Westfield opened, with a rise of approximately 20% overall since the beginning of 2008.

According to National Benchmark Data, these figures show the undoubted success of the scheme in a difficult market and prove that the Centre has not suffered because of Westfield.  Ealing Broadway continues to dominate the borough's shopping, with 96% of the local catchment using it.

New Look has taken a new ten year lease and it's expected to open in June 2010. 

Helen Gordon, director of Legal & General Property, said:

"Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre has proved its enduring appeal to its affluent local catchment, servicing daily shopping needs with its popular high street affordable brands and essentials.''

 

 

December 7th, 2009