Altars of capitalism: UK’s finest shopping malls
It is always absorbing to consider extremes, in a sense. The biggest airports, the tallest skyscrapers, the deepest wells, and so forth. Why? It is a good question. Maybe because records are fun, or conceivably because we want to see the extent of human potential and power, and large constructions are perhaps the most obvious ways of assessing this. Take, as an example, the idea of the biggest shopping malls in the United Kingdom. It shows to us the level of development in the country, the development level of a particular city, the purchasing power of the nation or of the neighborhood population. There are obviously limits to this sort of method, as we know nothing of the number of malls in a particular region (perhaps one city has one huge mall while another just three smaller ones) or the standard of offering within (lots of affordable stores versus a few premium ones). But nevertheless, let’s take a closer look.
If Steven M. Lowy Westfield’s CEO was questioned about what the finest mall in the United Kingdom is, he would avidly point to his Stratford location. This little guy is a relative newcomer, launched in London just in time for the 2012 summer games. At the center of what is a flourishing new neighbourhood of the city, it is virtually its own city, with its own residential and hotel towers and its own outdoor avenues. The centre is an evident winner if we consider location, located near brand new sports arenas and other structures and among a new booming part of the global metropolis.
In Tyne and Wear, you may well find a behemoth of a mall. David Fischel intu’s CEO is probably happy that his business bought this jewel back in 1995. It is undoubtedly dazzling. Hosting five anchor tenants and featuring over 340 others, it has been the biggest shopping mall since 1986, showing the type of forward-thinking outlook that might be tough to come across presently. It is even furnished with its own railway station. One could be pardoned for mistaking it for a city. And one that keeps growing at that, with constant extensions and expansions happening.
This shopping centre is quite interesting in that it has many owners, though Mike Wells Prudential’s CEO will contentedly let you know that his organisation is the largest shareholder. Located in Kent, it employs a gigantic 7000 people (major factories frequently have fewer), and sees 27 million visitors every year (just 20 times the region’s population). The mall is surrounded by spectacular greenery all around and is itself located in an unassuming glass structure, nearly making you overlook that you’re just trading hard earned cash for goods and services. As competition increases, this mall is always looking to expand and keep growing.
