Australian shopping centre group Westfield has announced plans to open its £1.45 bn (EUR 1.7 bn) Westfield Stratford City project within the next six months. In a statement during the MIPIM trade fair in Cannes, Westfield said the centre - encompassing 1.9 million sq ft (176,000 m2) of retail and leisure space and a further 1.1 million sq ft of office and business accommodation - will be Europe's largest mall on opening in September.

With the construction of the scheme in London's Borough of Newham nearing completion, Westfield Stratford City is not only the gateway to the Olympic Park for the 2012 London Olympics but also the first key piece of legacy for East London.

Westfield recently agreed to sell a 50% interest in the retail component of the scheme to a new joint venture comprising APG of The Netherlands and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB). Westfield Stratford City includes 300 retailers and is anchored by a 240,000 sq ft John Lewis, a 200,000 sq ft Marks & Spencer, a 32,000 sq ft Waitrose and a 14-screen all digital state of the art Vue cinema.

Westfield recently announced that Holiday Inn - official sponsors of the London 2012 Olympic Games - and Staybridge Suites will be completing the hotel offer together with Premier Inn. Together, the hotels will offer a total of 617 rooms at Westfield Stratford City.

In addition to its London projects, Westfield is currently embarking on repositioning projects at the Broadmarsh (Nottingham, East Midlands) and Friary (Guildford) shopping centres within the UK portfolio. These repositioning plans represent significant, multi- million pound investment into the centres and will introduce new brands and concepts.