When Westfield moved in, it shook up Shepherd's Bush. Is it a welcome newbie or a neighbour from hell? Joanne Grew and Julia Taylor report
One late October morning last year, Shepherd's Bush - a west London commuter hub brimming with cosmopolitan life - changed forever. Westfield, the largest shopping centre in Europe, had come to town - complete with 1.6m sq ft of retail space, 265 shops, 50 restaurants, 4,500 underground car parking spaces and 570 cycle spaces.
Having cost £1.7bn to build, the retail mecca now hopes to draw in 20 million shoppers each year, recession or not.
But with its Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, eateries, café bars, and countless other retail and leisure attractions, Westfield has had a predictably adverse effect on many of the c-stores nearby. Four months on from the opening, just how tough are local c-stores finding the competition?
Located outside London's Congestion Charging Zone, Westfield is conveniently placed for the millions of commuters who weave their way through London's inner suburbs on a daily basis, whether by public transport or car.
Visitors to Westfield have benefited from improved transport links around the shopping centre, funded by £30m of public money from Transport for London and £170m from Westfield. For c-store owners, however, it's been a different story.
As part of the transport improvements, a number of main bus stops have been relocated away from Uxbridge Road to the new White City bus station, where 10,000 passengers pass through daily.
Naturally, c-stores situated along Uxbridge Road are not happy.
"Our problem is not Westfield itself, it's the relocated bus stops," explains Super N Save store manager Muhammed Waseem. "All the commuter trade now gets off at the new station. When the plans went in we did object, but it was not enough. We've still got our regulars, but we've lost our main trade."
The change in bus routes hasn't been the only traffic issue since Westfield opened. Further problems have been created from car congestion - particularly at weekends. "Some weekend shoppers are parking in the outlying streets when the centre's car parks become full," says Kabul Gate Supermarket manager Raj Khan, who is losing custom from shoppers who cannot find a parking space. Overall business is quieter, although his regulars still visit the store to do a top-up shop during the week. "It's not a very dramatic loss of trade, but I am worried," he adds.
Greens Food and Drink, which has experienced a dip in trade, has seen a noticeable change in shopping patterns, according to shop assistant Kerym Abdul. "We have lost trade in the afternoons, when people are going to the shopping centre. It's much quieter ," he explains.
Shopper preference
Judging by the positive reaction to Westfield by locals and commuters in the area, c-store owners have every right to worry. Despite their premium price positioning, shoppers are giving the Waitrose and M&S stores a big thumbs-up.
“I would have used the local shops if the supermarkets weren’t here, but they have better stock and are closer to home and work,” says shopper Matthew Lewis.
Commuter Rosa Zecca shops at the supermarkets too, because they’re handily placed close to the train station she uses to get home from work. “Westfield is a one-stop shop for me, and then I get the train. Before Waitrose was here, I shopped at the smaller shops.”
Shoppers are also being enticed by Westfield’s a pleasant environment, finding it a good place in which to relax after work. “Waitrose has in-store benches – something that the local c-stores obviously do not have,” shopper Lorraine Lewis says.
Although Waitrose customer Ken Rob admits he still uses the c-stores, he is more likely to go to Westfield. “Smaller stores are losing out in the long run, because the big chains make people drift towards them – it’s all about time and convenience.”
Winning customers back
For some c-stores, lowering price - and margins - may be the only way of winning people back from Westfield. One store that has been forced to take action to regain custom is Londis, which has resorted to promoting certain items, including magazines, as well as putting price labels on its food and drink. The strategy is proving "quite effective" so far, says assistant Thushi Kathiravelu.
One store that has remained reasonably unaffected is Food City. It's located slightly further away from Westfield than the likes of Greens and Londis, and assistant Sajid Ali says the number of shoppers visiting the store has hardly changed, as many of his customers are local residents who support the smaller shops in the area.
"We've not noticed any fewer customers coming into the store," he says. "It's not really affected our business, but people are buying different things, mainly only top-up items - perhaps they are doing a full shop at Waitrose now. We have a large number of regular customers. They come in here often enough to keep us going - some even visit twice a day for essential items."
Community spirit
Food City shopper Gary Mitchell, who regularly pops into the shop for a drink or snack, agrees. Like many other residents in the area, he remains adamant he will support his local shops for the community spirit that exists in the store - a virtue Westfield cannot offer.
"I will support my local shopkeepers," he explains. "I also come here socially, for a chat. That's what it's about, the community."
Westfield's Waitrose and M&S are not for everyone, it seems. "I use the c-stores in the area, because some of them sell West Indian food and they're not over-priced," says local resident Champagne Wint. "Waitrose's prices are extortionate. Its food is much more expensive than everywhere else," she says.
And value could yet prove the saving grace for c-stores and other independents in the long run. While commuters think Westfield is a better option for convenience shopping than convenience stores, the lack of value and budget options within the shopping centre may yet tempt shoppers outside the mall in the longer term if retailers are prepared to resort to price-cutting tactics.
The trouble is, there's a Morrisons on the other side of the new tube station. And when we paid our weekday visit, it was heaving.n
One late October morning last year, Shepherd's Bush - a west London commuter hub brimming with cosmopolitan life - changed forever. Westfield, the largest shopping centre in Europe, had come to town - complete with 1.6m sq ft of retail space, 265 shops, 50 restaurants, 4,500 underground car parking spaces and 570 cycle spaces.
Having cost £1.7bn to build, the retail mecca now hopes to draw in 20 million shoppers each year, recession or not.
But with its Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, eateries, café bars, and countless other retail and leisure attractions, Westfield has had a predictably adverse effect on many of the c-stores nearby. Four months on from the opening, just how tough are local c-stores finding the competition?
Located outside London's Congestion Charging Zone, Westfield is conveniently placed for the millions of commuters who weave their way through London's inner suburbs on a daily basis, whether by public transport or car.
Visitors to Westfield have benefited from improved transport links around the shopping centre, funded by £30m of public money from Transport for London and £170m from Westfield. For c-store owners, however, it's been a different story.
As part of the transport improvements, a number of main bus stops have been relocated away from Uxbridge Road to the new White City bus station, where 10,000 passengers pass through daily.
Naturally, c-stores situated along Uxbridge Road are not happy.
"Our problem is not Westfield itself, it's the relocated bus stops," explains Super N Save store manager Muhammed Waseem. "All the commuter trade now gets off at the new station. When the plans went in we did object, but it was not enough. We've still got our regulars, but we've lost our main trade."
The change in bus routes hasn't been the only traffic issue since Westfield opened. Further problems have been created from car congestion - particularly at weekends. "Some weekend shoppers are parking in the outlying streets when the centre's car parks become full," says Kabul Gate Supermarket manager Raj Khan, who is losing custom from shoppers who cannot find a parking space. Overall business is quieter, although his regulars still visit the store to do a top-up shop during the week. "It's not a very dramatic loss of trade, but I am worried," he adds.
Greens Food and Drink, which has experienced a dip in trade, has seen a noticeable change in shopping patterns, according to shop assistant Kerym Abdul. "We have lost trade in the afternoons, when people are going to the shopping centre. It's much quieter ," he explains.
Shopper preference
Judging by the positive reaction to Westfield by locals and commuters in the area, c-store owners have every right to worry. Despite their premium price positioning, shoppers are giving the Waitrose and M&S stores a big thumbs-up.
“I would have used the local shops if the supermarkets weren’t here, but they have better stock and are closer to home and work,” says shopper Matthew Lewis.
Commuter Rosa Zecca shops at the supermarkets too, because they’re handily placed close to the train station she uses to get home from work. “Westfield is a one-stop shop for me, and then I get the train. Before Waitrose was here, I shopped at the smaller shops.”
Shoppers are also being enticed by Westfield’s a pleasant environment, finding it a good place in which to relax after work. “Waitrose has in-store benches – something that the local c-stores obviously do not have,” shopper Lorraine Lewis says.
Although Waitrose customer Ken Rob admits he still uses the c-stores, he is more likely to go to Westfield. “Smaller stores are losing out in the long run, because the big chains make people drift towards them – it’s all about time and convenience.”
Winning customers back
For some c-stores, lowering price - and margins - may be the only way of winning people back from Westfield. One store that has been forced to take action to regain custom is Londis, which has resorted to promoting certain items, including magazines, as well as putting price labels on its food and drink. The strategy is proving "quite effective" so far, says assistant Thushi Kathiravelu.
One store that has remained reasonably unaffected is Food City. It's located slightly further away from Westfield than the likes of Greens and Londis, and assistant Sajid Ali says the number of shoppers visiting the store has hardly changed, as many of his customers are local residents who support the smaller shops in the area.
"We've not noticed any fewer customers coming into the store," he says. "It's not really affected our business, but people are buying different things, mainly only top-up items - perhaps they are doing a full shop at Waitrose now. We have a large number of regular customers. They come in here often enough to keep us going - some even visit twice a day for essential items."
Community spirit
Food City shopper Gary Mitchell, who regularly pops into the shop for a drink or snack, agrees. Like many other residents in the area, he remains adamant he will support his local shops for the community spirit that exists in the store - a virtue Westfield cannot offer.
"I will support my local shopkeepers," he explains. "I also come here socially, for a chat. That's what it's about, the community."
Westfield's Waitrose and M&S are not for everyone, it seems. "I use the c-stores in the area, because some of them sell West Indian food and they're not over-priced," says local resident Champagne Wint. "Waitrose's prices are extortionate. Its food is much more expensive than everywhere else," she says.
And value could yet prove the saving grace for c-stores and other independents in the long run. While commuters think Westfield is a better option for convenience shopping than convenience stores, the lack of value and budget options within the shopping centre may yet tempt shoppers outside the mall in the longer term if retailers are prepared to resort to price-cutting tactics.
The trouble is, there's a Morrisons on the other side of the new tube station. And when we paid our weekday visit, it was heaving.n
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