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16 August 2012 10:34
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Westfield's Stratford City complex was visited by 5.5 million people during the Olympics, suggesting it is one of the biggest retail winners from the Games.
The Australian shopping centre group said that it benefited from "unprecedented exposure to a global audience" which left both Stratford City and its Shepherds Bush location on target to attract 60 million shoppers this year, who are forecast to spend £1.8 billion.
Stratford City, which opened in September 2011 and is Europe's biggest urban shopping mall, received a boost from the fact that visitors had to walk through the centre to get to the Olympic Park.
Central London was relatively quiet during the Games, as people stayed away amid warnings of transport congestion, leading Prime Minister David Cameron to appeal to people to return.
Official retail figures for July, released tomorrow, will provide an update on the performance of retailers who have been hit by the wet weather at the start of the summer although they are expected to be flat on the previous month.
