On this date in 2011,
Westfield Stratford City shopping centre opened. Here are ten things you might not know about this mega-mall:
- The site was formerly occupied by Stratford Works and Locomotive Depot.
- The development of the site cost £1.75 billion.
- It's the third largest shopping mall in the UK with a retail floor area of 1,905,542 square feet (177,030.6 m2). Only the the MetroCentre and the Trafford Centre are bigger.
- The opening ceremony was hosted by Pixie Geldof and Nick Grimshaw with Nicole Scherzinger performing. Boris Johnson, then Mayor of London, was also there and was only metres away when a metal roof tile fell and smashed on the floor. Nobody was hurt.
- 42 million people visit Westfiled each year. In 2012, an unprecedented 48 million visited, nearly equivalent to the population of England. The fact that the centre was the gateway to the Olympic Park probably helped.
- 58 trains per hour stop at Westfield Stratford City’s two railway stations, Stratford Regional and Stratford International.
- There is a car park with 5,000 spaces, but 80% of the people who shop there arrive by public transport.
- The shopping centre has approximately 280 stores and 70 restaurants. It also has a casino, a bowling alley and a 17 screen cinema.
- The shopping centre has floor tiles which harness the energy from people walking on them and convert it into electrical power. It's the first place to use this technology on a large scale.
- The video for Olly Murs' single Oh My Goodness was filmed there.
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