Westfield has challenged Ealing’s offer, producing a drop in footfall and rents, but Ealing BID are fighting back.
Speaking at a conference, Peter Smith of Ealing BID said a key achievement has been to get business rates downgraded by 30% in the Broadway Centre, and 25% on the High Street. This combined with other cost saving inititives for businesses, like free recycling of busines waste or free vermin control, has helped ensure they won their renewal ballot – proving they provide a useful service.
Although rents have fallen in Ealing Broadway by around 25% since Westfield opened, Ealing BID has been working on repositioning the town centre offer, using free car parking as a promotional strategy.
There were no figures on footfall, the last issued showing a 7% decline in the months following Westfield London’s opening. HMV cited pressure from Westfield as a reason behind the closure of their Ealing store.
