500,000 swamp Westfield shopping centre

HALF a million shoppers swamped the £1.7billion Westfield centre in chaotic scenes more reminiscent of the January sales than a dreary, credit crunch-hit autumn weekend.

Security staff at some of the 265 stores were forced to operate one-in-one-out queues to cope as more than 100,000 shoppers descended on the centre every day since it opened last Thursday.

Designer items, including goods by Jasper Conran, Tom Ford and John Rocha, flew off the shelves. Sales of jewellery and Christmas gifts were also up on expected levels.

Shoppers were forced to eat sandwiches as they walked around or outside the centre, as Westfield's 30 cafés and restaurants were packed, with hour-long queues for food.

Drivers faced lengthy waits for the 4,500 parking spaces as thousands flooded in from around the capital, including Essex and south-east London.There were also reports of clogged traffic in surrounding areas, although fears of jammed roads failed to materialise after the £200 million upgrade in transport links.

A defective escalator at Shepherd's Bush station caused overcrowding and forced the Central line station to close for more than two hours on Saturday afternoon.

Owners of the 43-acre centre called the first weekend a huge success with both sales and visitors numbers up on expectations.

A Westfield Centre spokesman said: "We hit the half-million mark after four days, which was exceptional by any standards. We are confident it's going to continue. We've got Christmas coming up and there is genuine excitement about that." Teething problems which blighted the opening, including out of order escalators, lifts and interactive maps, continued to dog the centre. But shoppers were full of admiration.

Nicola Keane, 22, from Ireland, who spent £100 on clothes, said: "It is so beautifully done, magnificent. It has all the high street shops mixed with designer shops. It was really packed and you had to queue for hours for food, but it was so well laid out that you could still wander around and relax."

However, there were early signs the centre was hitting trade in surrounding areas as shoppers deserted high streets in Kensington and Hammersmith. Store managers in Westfield played down fears that the centre would hurt small businesses.

Funda Cetinkaya, Marks & Spencer section manager for ladieswear, said: "It was much busier than we expected and our takings were much higher. There is a big debate whether a shopping centre like this drags down the high street, but high streets like Carnaby Street and Oxford Street are classical so people will never stop going there. We did especially well with our Christmas gifts, and our Patricia Field selection was selling out."

Gary Stevenson, Debenhams senior store manager, said: "There was a real buzz and we exceeded all our targets, both in terms of people coming into the store and sales. We had lots of success with our designer ranges, such as Jasper Conran and John Rocha."

House of Fraser store manager Jane Earle said: "We had huge crowds and met all our targets. We have had great success on fine jewellery and our vintage jewellery. Perfume and cosmetics have also taken a larger percentage of our mix than expected, especially Tom Ford and Bobbi Brown."

Hiromi Kitatani, 34, housewife from Wimbledon. Spent £70 on shoes and planned to spend another £200 on clothes. Normally shops in Oxford Street, Covent Garden and Bond Street.

"Normally you find places like this outside the city, so it's great to have one in London. I'll probably come here instead of central London."

Olga Mordalski, 28, admin worker from Hounslow. Spent £50 on clothes. Normally shops in Hounslow.

"The design of the shops is different, it's spacious and well organised. I can't believe it's in London. The parking is good because automated signs tell you which areas are full. My husband was patient and uncomplaining normally shopping terrifies him."

Alastair Turner, 27, contract and commercial IT manager from Hither Green. Spent £90 on clothes. Normally shops in Oxford Street and Regent Street.

"It's a very impressive place. I'll definitely come back. The only bad thing I have to say about it is that getting up and down escalators is a nightmare. There aren't enough."

Vesna Churchill, 42, gas engineer from Hampstead. Expected to have spent up to £200 by end of day. Normally shops in Brent Cross and central London.

"It's really nice, with lots of space and a variety of shops, though it is expensive. I might come here instead of Brent Cross for the luxury items, though definitely not for essentials."