Spunking Up The Bush

The score bore at QPR left me feeling deflated, so come the final whistle I went in search of consumer enlightenment via Wood Lane and into Westfield shopping centre. On approaching the building I clocked its architecture - lots of modern clean lines and lots of glass, nice. Inside, the smooth stone paving with its patterned glass roof above made it resemble a retail arcade in Centre Parcs. There's a bright, airy and spacious feel to this place, it's as if you're doing your shopping within a huge biosphere without the plants. Pleasant, but quite clinical which is fine if you like 'new' over 'worn-in but familiar'.

I was curious to see wether the tough commercial climate presented many vacant units within the complex but to my surprise, all were filled. The place was also filled with people, some of whom actually bought stuff. I suspect there were more window shoppers than regular spending spree types, as I didn't see many people with a whole gamut of designer carrier bags in their possession. There were quite a few scrote-coat wearers about the place.
I made my way straight to the busy Apple store which was staffed by people looking like character rejects from The Big Bang Theory (American geek sitcom). It had a 'Genius Bar' which, unlike the name suggests, is not a drinks bar for those with a high IQ, but a counter manned by experts ready to assist you with advice regarding all your Apple related techie quieries. Most of the sleek products were readily displayed so I decided to try an iPod. They had Bose headphones plugged into all demo iPods - they wouldn't sell any if Apple's own headphones were used with the display models - and they still sounded shit! I couldn't even get the new Shuffle to work (I may have broken it) so I shuffled out of the shop as quickly as I came in.
What made me smile was the giant balloon that was the Lindt Easter bunny situated in The Atrium. I'm more of a Cadbury's man myself but ten out of ten to Lindt for a fun marketing idea, I'm sure there'll be plenty of choccie bunnies sold because of it.

Of the nineteen footwear shops found in the centre, the ones that stuck out were Aussie UGGs, the ghastly Crocs and more notably the trendy Vans boutique, which had a nice line in Bad Brains merchandise. Is a Vans shop too cool for Westfield or are they simply acknowledging the hoody element of a west London past within the realms of the new and improved up-market Shepherd's Bush? There seems to be a snobby contradiction of wares for sale in Westfield although the absence of Matalans and TK Maxx didn't go entirely unnoticed.
On the lower and upper levels of a section called The Balcony, there are no less than thirteen eateries such as Yo! Sushi and Pho, the latter specialising in Vietnamese street food where I tried a steak based noodle soup. Nothing to write home about but the mixed apple, mint and lime juice was refreshing. More than ten restaurants can be found on the Southern Terrace and with nearly twenty cafes scattered around the premises, you should have no trouble finding refreshments to suit.

Many ladies love to shop, and the management of Westfield have wised up to this big time. There's a large assortment of female clothes emporiums ranging from shoes and lingerie to more than twenty women's fashion boutiques like Blanco, Laura Ashley, New Look, La Senza, Wag Express, etc. They're all here - all ready to beat your plastic into a pulp.
If you're feeling really flush, there is an area called The Village which caters for 'Luxury Retail' outlets such as Louis Vitton, Gucci, Dior and other posh shops that specialise in expensive pieces of useless tat. Throw in a few banks, bookshops, the obligatory department stores, sports, toys, jewellery (fourty-seven grand Rolex anyone?), gadget shops and that's pretty much the make up of Westfield. No musical instrument shops though, can't have everything I s'pose.
To have recently launched the biggest mall in London was a very brave move despite all the 'green shoots of recovery' bollocks we're hearing. It's a venture that has, in the long term at least, the potential for serving a large catchment area of shoppers who are fed up with having to travel to Oxford Street, Bluewater and Lakeside. The excellent transport links will also beguile away-supporters visiting Loftus Road into parting with a few of their pennies at Westfield.
Either that, or it might get trashed to fuck by Millwall fans next season.

Links: Westfield Shopping Mall
More pictures here.