Westfield Plan Office Space for House of Fraser Premises
Change of strategy for owners of shopping centre
Picture: House of Fraser
The owners of Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd’s Bush have applied to Hammersmith & Fulham Council to convert the premises of House of Fraser into office space.
The 104,000 sq ft department store which ranges over 4 floors would mainly become co-working space if plans presented by landlord Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield are approved. Two floors would be turned into office space with the remainder retained as retail.
A statement submitted with the application says, “There are very few co-working office spaces within the White City area, with the exception of Soho House’s own offering, which is at a much higher premium.
“The addition of office space at this location, particularly co-working space, will encourage further companies to be based in the area, which will further enhance the socio-economic climate that already exists within the White City area.”
It is also acknowledges that the environment is tough at the moment of large anchor retail stores and that the change is needed to “allow a variety of uses necessary for the centre’s long term success”.
A spokeswoman for the landlord said, “At Westfield London we continuously develop and redesign our spaces to introduce new concepts and experiences for our shoppers.
“Visitors to our centres want more interactive experiences, and the current planning application will allow us to create a new and unique offer to complement our retail, dining and leisure offer.”
There has been no announcement from House of Fraser about their plans for the store and they have not responded to requests for comment.
July 6, 2020