FOCUS CASE STUDY
24 JULY 2019
ABOVE
THE SHOP
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Earlier this year, Unibail-Rodamco-
Westfield, the owner of London’s
well-known shopping destinations,
relocated its UK headquarters from
High Holborn to a new space above the
shops at Westfield London, White City –
the largest shopping centre in Europe.
It was a move designed to bring the
firm’s employees closer together in
an enhanced working environment. A
walk around the new workspace, which
has been informed and influenced by
extensive employee consultation, reveals
bespoke design features including a
wellbeing room and mix of open spaces,
ranging from a central auditorium to
formal and casual meeting booths
and secluded spaces for reflection and
thinking time.
URW is no stranger to transforming
spaces. The workplace project reflects
the evolution of Westfield London into a
lifestyle hub where people come together
to shop, enjoy, live – and, of course, work.
The 242,000 sq m destination hosts wellknown
retail names such as John Lewis &
Partners, Primark and Prada, along with
Puttshack – the world’s first super-tech
indoor mini-golf experience.
Both of URW’s London centres –
Westfield London and Westfield Stratford
City – have flourished over the past
decade, evolving into destinations
where visitors enjoy shopping, dining,
entertainment and special events. In 2018,
the two centres welcomed a record 81.8
million visitors between them – an annual
upli of six per cent. Since opening in
2008, Westfield London alone has received
more than 270 million visitors, generating
over £9.2 billion in sales.
The centres have had a significant
impact on their localities. Contributions
to the local economy to date include
over £200 million on improving
infrastructure and connectivity, and
more than £13.6 million in education
and training. Westfield centres support
32,000 jobs in London. Thirteen per
cent of jobs within both the London
Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
and the London Borough of Newham are
provided by URW. One in two Westfield
London employees live within the six
local west London boroughs, while one
in five Westfield Stratford City employees
live in Newham.
Looking forward, research published
last year estimates the economic
contribution of the firm’s existing centres
in the UK capital to be the equivalent of
£22-30 billion in gross value added (GVA)
over the next 20 years.