The home of shopping in London, Westfield is preparing for a ‘Middle Eastern gold rush’ as domestic and international tourists flock to Westfield London to celebrate Eid (17th – 20th July) and beyond, throughout summer. Each year the shopping destination sees a wave of Middle Eastern shoppers visit Westfield with family and friends to splurge in luxury gift purchases and enjoy Westfield London’s wide range of brands and extensive leisure and dining options.
In 2014, the average spend from the Middle East was up 18% YOY to £714, with the market making up 32% of non-EU spend at Westfield London and 25% of non-EU spend at Westfield’s luxury quarter, The Village.
Open until 10pm, The Village, houses a range of designer brands including Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Mulberry, Gucci and Versace, which benefit from the Ramadan rush. In preparation, a number of retailers will offer exclusive products and experiences during the Eid period, including exclusive designs from The Watch Company, complimentary personalisation at Mulberry and private client services at Jimmy Choo.
For families, the world’s fastest growing educational entertainment brands, KidZania has just opened at Westfield London in time for Eid celebrations. KidZania provides visitors with a safe, unique and highly realistic educational environment for their children to play while they hit the shops. The indoor venue hosts an exciting place for children’s play complete with buildings, paved streets, vehicles, and a functioning economy. With KidZania attractions in Dubai, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, it offers a familiar addition to the London shopping experience for international visitors.
After shopping, Middle Eastern visitors can recharge and refuel at one of Westfield’s many halal restaurants including Lebanese canteen Comptoir Libanais, The Meat Co. and Arabic grill favourite Shawa.
To further enhance the shopping experience, Westfield also has a dedicated concierge team offering personal chauffeurs, valet parking, handsfree shopping, personal styling and tax-free shopping. The team also includes Arabic-speaking Village concierges who will be on hand over the Ramadan period. In addition to the services available, Westfield London offer home, hotel and international delivery options to all shoppers.
The Fashion Lounge is a new addition to Westfield London this year; offering a brand new personal styling service in a luxurious suite. The Fashion Lounge has expert stylists with extensive product knowledge to help shoppers discover the latest products from over 700 fashion brands.
Myf Ryan, Westfield Marketing Director UK & Europe, comments: “The Middle East continues to be Westfield London’s largest international tourist market and we expect to see a huge influx of visitors both pre-Ramadan and the month of August as this year, post-Ramadan coincides with the main month the visitors escape the summer heat. We have a much larger offering across brands and service this year which is particularly important to the Middle Eastern shopper”
