Case Study
M&S Anchor store, Westfield, London
Sector
Retail
Client
M&S
Location
Westfield, London
Date
2008 / 2018
The challenge: working at speed and scale
Fitting out Europe’s largest shopping centre
The development and fit out of retail giant M&S’s anchor store in the prestigious Westfield shopping centre, remains one of the largest projects handled by Woodward & Co. The team had already successfully completed the flagship M&S store in Derby, and the same team moved seamlessly across to the innovative retail space planned for White City, London. In the high-pressure retail sector, where a missed or delayed deadline can significantly impact profits, working with the same individuals builds client confidence – and smoother completions.
At 163,000 square feet, M&S Westfield one of the largest stores and a test bed for many innovative new services. Within the internal ventilation infrastructure, brand-new displacement columns were commissioned and installed. The layout for the signature Food Hall changed three times during construction. With change requests coming in thick and fast, the Woodward & Cos team needed to respond quickly and calmly, liaise with the M&S design team and think one step ahead to stay on track.
When the chips are down – experience counts
The logistics are huge, the pressure intense, and on these projects, experience counts. When you’re building a new shopping centre, one person’s deadline is everybody’s deadline. At Westfield White City, there were over 7,000 people onsite. Every shop needs to be ready to open at the same time – a delay on one fit out can have a knock-on effect on everyone else. Even 2 days before opening, there were up to 100 scissor lifts still onsite, putting the final touches to the mega-complex.
Woodward & Cos company directors have almost 100 years’ combined experience. That, plus the reassurance of a tried-and-tested technical team who know your brand as well as they know their own, makes all the difference.
Woodward & Co.
A proven track record in retail
M&S Westfield opened in November 2008, with a high-profile, celebrity-led launch, in time for the Christmas shopping period. Since then, Woodward & Cos opened another 35 new stores, and extended the original M&S Westfield White City, adding another floor in 2018.