VIPS ALL AGREE: THE WESTFIELD CENTRE MOVES CITY UP INTO THE BIG LEAGUE
Date : 10.10.07
It was not just the Derby shoppers who flocked to the new Westfield Derby shopping centre for its opening yesterday. As part of the celebrations, some of the city's movers and shakers were invited by Westfield to toast the occasion in style in a VIP area. Business editor Robin Johnson joined them.
As some of Derby's most important figures watched the celebrations inside the Westfield Derby shopping centre, many may have felt the compulsion to pinch themselves.
In particular, those who had lived and worked all their lives in the city may have believed they were caught up in a dream.
It was understandable. After all, Derby had not witnessed an occasion quite like it before.
It was almost surreal, standing in something so impressive and thinking that it was ours. Surely, a development like this only happened in other cities?
But no, this was Westfield Derby - and it is ours for keeps. Yesterday, after all the years of planning and building, the curtain was finally raised on the £340m development.
And for a certain group of people, it was done in some style.
To make the official opening a memorable occasion for the city's movers and shakers, Westfield had laid on a special hospitality area for VIP guests. But it was not just for Derby's elite. Mingling with the city's great and the good in the VIP enclosure, decked out with lilies and small, neatly-trimmed hedges, were those who had helped turn the new centre from dream to reality.
The unsung heroes if you like, such as Westfield's lawyers, accountants, planners and other members of the backroom team who had worked on the project. There was a constant buzz of excitement throughout the centre but particularly in the VIP area, where the laughter was punctuated only by the popping of champagne corks.
For John Forkin, director of Marketing Derby, a public-private sector organisation set up to promote the city as a place in which to live, work and invest, the official opening was a day eagerly awaited.
As someone who was born in the city, seeing Westfield Derby officially opened was a proud moment.
Gazing up at the cavernous ceiling of the centre, dotted with tiny spotlights, Mr Forkin said: "It just makes you realise how far Derby had fallen behind.
"It's quite a strange sensation. After you've walked around Westfield for a bit and then go outside you almost expect Derby not to be there because it is so different to anything the city has had before.
"You almost feel like you're in a city like Manchester or Leeds - but it's Derby. It's quite remarkable."
Mr Forkin was delighted to see the response of the public to the opening. "It was absolutely packed," he said.
"Obviously, it was not indicative of how busy the centre will be every day. But it was really encouraging to see how many people the centre is capable of attracting.
"I'm sure that among them there are people who haven't been shopping in Derby for years - if ever.
"The job now is to introduce the rest of the city to them."
That was something that Ian Ferguson, chief executive of Derby Chamber of Trade, who was also in the VIP area, agreed with.
Mr Ferguson is project leader for the Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District.
The aim of this is to make sure businesses in that area do not miss out.
Next month, those businesses will vote on whether their area should become a BID, which would see them paying for improvements to the Cathedral Quarter.
"Westfield Derby is an impressive development but it has to remembered that this kind of shopping experience is not for everyone," said Mr Ferguson.
"What makes a city unique is its independent shops - and they add something extra to the overall visiting experience.
"Westfield acknowledges this and we are working with them to promote the city as a whole.
"The footfall generated from this development should filter through to all parts of Derby - and it's very important that we don't miss this opportunity."
Sharon Stevens-Cash, marketing officer for Derby Cityscape, was also impressed by the size and scale of Westfield Derby.
Derby Cityscape is the company responsible for drawing up a masterplan for the regeneration of Derby - and Westfield is a key driver in that plan.
"It's pretty amazing," she said. "You almost get a sense you are somewhere else - and you can't quite believe it's actually in Derby.
"But it is and it is fantastic. What is particularly exciting is that this development is just the beginning of a wider regeneration of the city and that there are plenty of other new things to look forward to."
Another VIP guest, and one Derby through and through, was Mike Copestake - senior partner at city law firm Freeth Cartwright and chairman of Marketing Derby.
"I really like how Westfield has done the centre," he said. "It's very futuristic. I recently returned from Krakow in Poland, where I went to a shopping centre and was told it was the largest in Europe.
"I'm not so sure about that after seeing Westfield Derby. It's wonderful for the profile of Derby to have something like this.
"It will allow us to really compete with other cities and attract all those people who, for many years, have done their shopping elsewhere.
"It has to be remembered that other cities are moving with the times and are improving their retail offer.
"But the advantage Derby has over the competition is that you can walk from one side of the city centre to the other in 10 to 15 minutes - and now we have Westfield, we should really exploit that."
The general mood among the guests was that the opening of Westfield Derby was a mightily impressive start to a new, brighter future for the city.
According to Councillor Chris Williamson, leader of Derby City Council, Westfield Derby is not just a stunning, state-of-the-art shopping centre, it is also symbolic of the league Derby as a city is playing in now.
In the VIP area, Mr Williamson was joined by a number of city council staff, who had all worked closely with Westfield on the project.
He said: "It's not just about the economic benefits this centre will bring - but also the social impact.
"Westfield Derby has created almost 3,000 new jobs, which means more people with money in their pocket, with more power to raise their quality of life.
"It also has to be remembered that this is only the beginning of a wonderful journey. It's an impressive start to the overall regeneration of Derby.
"We have projects such as Riverlights, Quad, City Gate House and many others on the way. So this is by no means the end - there is still plenty more for the people of Derby to look forward to."
Peter Miller, Westfield's development design and construction director, was delighted with the reaction to the centre.
He said: "A lot of people in Derby perhaps did not realise they deserved something like this and we wanted to make them proud of their city.
"I am absolutely convinced it will be successful and will give the Nottingham, Leicester, Meadowhall and surrounding areas a run for their money.
"The feedback from the VIPs has been very positive about Derby. A lot of banks, institutions and other business partners that we have here today are all absolutely taken aback by what we have achieved.
"We couldn't have done that without the partnership work of the city council, Derby Cityscape and other key stakeholders."
Article courtesy of Robin Johnson The Derby Evening Telegraph