Household shopping brands are in a race to clinch space at the still-to-be-completed Westfield shopping centre next to the Olympic Park, in Stratford, east London.
The shopping centre is scheduled to open in 18 months.
Topshop, Primark, Next, John Lewis, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer are among those set to open shops there.
Sixty per cent of the 1.9m sq ft of space has already been let.
The news comes amid signs that Westfield’s Shepherd’s Bush centre, in west London, has hit its stride with total sales up 24.1% in the first quarter.
Westfield reported improving conditions in both Britain and the US but it is not ready yet to commit to any developments outside London in the UK.
The credit crunch has meant UK projects, including a £320m mall in Bradford, are on ice.
05/05/10 Times 37, 38, 45
Guardian 31
Independent 45
