Westfield London
A large shopping and leisure centre in White City, West London.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Westfield London is a major shopping, dining and entertainment centre in White City, West London. It was developed by the Westfield Group on a large brownfield site associated with the former 1908 Franco-British Exhibition and opened to the public on 30 October 2008. The centre is located beside the West Cross Route and Westway and is served by several Underground, Overground, railway and bus connections. Its position within the wider White City and Shepherd’s Bush regeneration area gives it a role extending beyond retail: it is also a transport destination, employment centre, leisure venue and component of a mixed-use urban development. The original project represented an investment of approximately £1.6 billion and created a covered retail complex of about 1.6 million square feet. Construction was carried out by Westfield Construction over approximately five years, with around 8,000 people employed during the building phase. The development required substantial site preparation, including the removal of remnants of exhibition buildings, precautions related to possible unexploded wartime ordnance and the replacement and relocation of a London Underground depot so that development could take place above and around railway infrastructure. Westfield also supported local employment and training initiatives during construction. At opening, the centre was the largest covered shopping development in London. Its tenant mix included department stores, fashion retailers, restaurants, a food court and entertainment venues. Major anchor retailers have included John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Next and Primark, while House of Fraser and Debenhams were important former anchors. The centre also contains a premium shopping area known as The Village and a food destination known as Eat Gallery. A Vue multiplex cinema, Puttshack and other leisure operators have broadened the offer beyond conventional shopping. The opening coincided with the global financial crisis. Westfield London attracted very high initial visitor numbers, but the downturn subsequently led to weaker footfall and some store closures. The centre later reported stronger trading, helped in part by tourist spending and its location within a globally visited city. A major northern extension, approved by Hammersmith and Fulham Council in 2012, was built from 2014 and opened in stages during 2018. The expansion added approximately 700,000 square feet to the scheme, bringing the overall area to roughly 2.6 million square feet and making Westfield London one of Europe’s largest shopping centres. The project added retail space, a large Primark store, offices, public areas and approximately 1,522 homes, while also improving pedestrian and transport connections. The centre’s tenant base has changed over time. Debenhams closed its Westfield London store in April 2020 after entering administration during the COVID-19 crisis. House of Fraser closed in January 2023, with part of its former space approved for conversion to offices and new retail units. TK Maxx was subsequently identified as an occupier of part of the former Debenhams space, while a Harrods Outlet occupied the area for a period. KidZania, which had opened as part of the expansion, closed in January 2024; a Wake the Tiger immersive entertainment venue has been identified as a planned replacement for 2026. Westfield London has also been debated as an example of large-scale retail-led regeneration. Supporters point to its employment, visitor economy, transport investment and contribution to the transformation of White City and Shepherd’s Bush. Critics have raised concerns about pressure on independent businesses, rising local rents, effects on Shepherd’s Bush Market and the homogenising effect of standardised chain retail. The centre remains an active flagship property within Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s European portfolio.
History
Westfield London occupies a large brownfield site in White City, West London. Part of the site had previously hosted the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition, while other areas were used for railway and industrial purposes. The exhibition buildings helped give White City its name, although many of the remaining structures were removed during site clearance. Demolition and construction planning also took account of the possibility of unexploded bombs associated with wartime bombing near a former munitions facility. A London Underground depot presented a further engineering challenge. The depot had to remain operational while a replacement facility was constructed underground, allowing the shopping centre to be built over both the new depot and parts of the former depot site. The initial development concept involved a consortium in which Multiplex’s UK business was a significant participant. Financial difficulties connected with other projects led Multiplex to sell its interest to the Westfield Group, which then took responsibility for delivering the scheme. Westfield Construction built the centre over approximately five years. The development employed about 8,000 people during construction and included a local training initiative intended to improve access to jobs for residents of the surrounding area. By opening, a substantial proportion of management positions had been filled by locally recruited staff. Transport improvements formed an important part of the planning agreement. Westfield contributed to improvements affecting Underground, railway, bus, road and pedestrian access, alongside public-sector investment. Westfield London opened on 30 October 2008 in a ceremony attended by Westfield Group chief executive Frank Lowy and London mayor Boris Johnson. The original complex contained around 1.6 million square feet of retail space. Approximately two million people visited during its first three weeks, despite the severe economic conditions of the 2008 financial crisis. The downturn subsequently reduced shopper numbers and contributed to some retailer failures or departures in 2009. Trading later improved, with tourist shoppers contributing to the centre’s recovery. The next major stage began when Hammersmith and Fulham Council approved a 700,000-square-foot northern extension in February 2012. Construction started in 2014. The scheme replaced an industrial estate and added new retail streets, public spaces, offices and homes. It also incorporated transport and public-realm changes, including modifications around Shepherd’s Bush station, relocation of the White City bus station, pedestrian links and the reuse of the historic Dimco Buildings. The expansion opened in stages during 2018. A new John Lewis anchor opened in March 2018, and the completed centre reached approximately 2.6 million square feet, making it the largest shopping centre in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe at that time. The expanded centre added entertainment as well as retail. KidZania opened in 2015, Vue operated a seventeen-screen cinema from 2010 and Puttshack opened a technology-led indoor mini-golf venue in 2018. The retail offer included approximately 320 stores, four principal anchor tenants at the time described by the reference material, a premium area called The Village and a food court known as Eat Gallery. The centre has experienced substantial tenant turnover since 2020. Debenhams permanently closed its store in April 2020 after entering administration during the COVID-19 lockdown period. The former space was temporarily associated with a Harrods Outlet and later became linked to a TK Maxx occupation. House of Fraser closed in January 2023 after planning approval allowed much of its former unit to be repurposed for offices and separate retail units. KidZania closed in January 2024, with a planned Wake the Tiger immersive experience cited as a future replacement. Westfield London has generated both praise and criticism. Its supporters describe it as a catalyst for regeneration, employment and improved transport connectivity in White City and Shepherd’s Bush. Critics have argued that the centre diverts spending from established shopping streets, places pressure on independent businesses and local rents, affects Shepherd’s Bush Market and encourages a repetitive chain-store environment. The centre’s long-term significance therefore lies not only in its size but also in the way it has reshaped the economic and physical relationship between West London retail, transport infrastructure and mixed-use development.
- 2024
KidZania closes
[1]The KidZania attraction ceased operations at Westfield London.
- 2023
House of Fraser closes
[1]House of Fraser closed its store, with approved plans supporting a mixed office and retail reuse of the former unit.
- 2020
Debenhams departs
[1]Debenhams permanently closed its Westfield London store after entering administration during the COVID-19 crisis.
- 2018
Expansion reaches completion
[1]The extension opened in phases and expanded the centre to approximately 2.6 million square feet. John Lewis opened its extension anchor in March.
- 2015
KidZania opens
[1]KidZania opened within the expansion area as a children’s educational entertainment attraction.
- 2014
Expansion construction begins
[1]Construction began on the northern extension, which replaced an industrial estate and added retail, offices, homes and public spaces.
- 2012
Northern extension approved
[1]Hammersmith and Fulham Council approved a major northern expansion of the shopping centre.
- 2010
Vue cinema launches
[1]A seventeen-screen Vue cinema opened, adding a major entertainment component to the centre.
- 2008
Westfield London opens
[1]The centre opened to the public on 30 October with approximately 1.6 million square feet of retail space.
- 1908
Franco-British Exhibition site established
[1]Part of the later Westfield London site hosted the Franco-British Exhibition, linking the development area to the historical origin of the White City name.
Products and positioning
Large regional shopping and leisure centre serving West London, the wider London metropolitan area and international visitors.
Fashion and general retail · 2008
Shopping centre retail offer
Westfield London provides a broad multi-category retail environment combining fashion, department stores, beauty, consumer goods and specialist shops. Major anchors have included John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Next and Primark. The centre’s scale allows it to serve routine local shopping, destination visits and tourist-oriented consumption within a single covered complex.
Premium retail · 2008
The Village
The Village is Westfield London’s high-end retail area. It is designed to distinguish premium and luxury-oriented shopping from the centre’s broader mass-market offer, giving international and affluent shoppers a more concentrated destination for upscale brands and services.
Food and dining · 2008
Eat Gallery
Eat Gallery is the centre’s food-court and dining destination. It supports the wider leisure proposition by providing visitors with a concentrated selection of food and beverage operators alongside the centre’s restaurants and cafés.
Cinema and entertainment · 2010
Vue Westfield London
Vue Westfield London is a seventeen-screen multiplex that opened in 2010. The venue includes 3D-capable screens and seating for almost 3,000 people, making cinema a significant part of the centre’s evening and non-retail traffic.
Family entertainment · 2015
KidZania Westfield London
KidZania was an educational role-play attraction in which children could participate in simulated adult occupations and activities. It opened as part of the centre’s expansion in 2015 and closed at the Westfield London site in January 2024.
Leisure and entertainment · 2018
Puttshack
Puttshack is a technology-focused indoor mini-golf venue. Its Westfield London location opened in July 2018 and was promoted as London’s first high-tech indoor mini-golf centre, adding an interactive leisure format to the expanded complex.
Controversies
2015
Foiled planned bombing
Police thwarted a plan by Mohammed Rehman and Sana Ahmed Khan to detonate a urea-nitrate bomb at the shopping centre. The intended date was linked to the tenth anniversary of the 7 July 2005 London bombings. The plan did not result in an attack at Westfield London.
Brand decisions
2023
Repurpose part of the former House of Fraser unitStrategyBackground
House of Fraser closed its Westfield London store, creating a large vacant anchor space within a changing department-store market.
Action taken
Planning approval supported converting approximately two-thirds of the former unit into office space and dividing the remainder into two retail units facing the interior of the centre.
Aftermath
The decision illustrated a shift toward more flexible mixed-use and multi-occupier layouts as large department-store spaces became harder to sustain.
2018
Complete the expanded Westfield London formatGeneration changeBackground
The expansion was intended to increase retail capacity while creating a more mixed-use destination with housing, offices, public space and additional leisure uses.
Action taken
The extension opened in phases, adding new retail streets, a large Primark store, a John Lewis anchor, offices, homes and improved pedestrian links.
Aftermath
Westfield London became one of the largest shopping centres in Europe and strengthened its position as a regional and tourist destination.
2012
Proceed with the northern expansionStrategyBackground
The original centre had established a major retail destination in West London, and the developer sought to increase capacity and broaden the scheme’s role within the White City regeneration area.
Action taken
Planning approval was secured for a roughly 700,000-square-foot northern extension incorporating retail, offices, homes, public areas and transport improvements.
Aftermath
Construction began in 2014 and the completed expansion increased the overall centre to approximately 2.6 million square feet.
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