Westfield’s long New York wait ends as World Trade Centre mall opens

Westfield will mark a key moment with the opening of the World Trade Centre mall, where memories of 9/11 are never far away.

Inside the new World Trade Centre mall in New York. Pic: David Joshua Ford

After 15 years, Westfield Corporation is finally set for the grand opening of its first shopping centre in Manhattan.

The $1.4 billion World Trade Centre mall will officially open on Tuesday (local time), with entertainment, a flag-raising ceremony, and a special invitation to families who have a connection to the site of the deadliest terror attack on US soil.

Westfield chairman Frank Lowy is set to be present for the opening, a key moment for his company, which lost an executive in the 2001 attacks. The company took control of the site only shortly before the disaster, and has spent years building a shopping centre it expects to generate up to $1bn in sales once fully operational.

Ahead of the launch, the 365,000 square feet mall is abuzz as the sound of drilling drifts over the top of muted chatter. Teams of workers in hi-vis vests and hard hats are installing lights, polishing storefronts and pausing to sip coffee as they set up shop for the retailers who have yet to open their doors. Around 60 stores, of 100 expected to fill the space, will be set for business on Tuesday.

Other stores are fitted out and look ready to welcome shoppers at first glance, before a double-take reveals tall stacks of cardboard boxes yet to be emptied.

Still others are open for business and only too willing to show The Australian their innovative mix of bricks-and-mortar and online retailing. Shoe store Aldo offers an app that allows customers — perhaps working or commuting nearby — to choose a style and size, then pop into the store and meet a sales assistant who will have their exact choice ready to try on.

Westfield guides with tablet computers strapped to their gloves are on hand to answer visitors’ questions and direct them through the complex, which houses a train station below the retail space.

Westfield hopes to attract a mix of shoppers, including commuters travelling to work in Manhattan via the train from New Jersey, business people who work downtown and young families moving into Lower Manhattan. More than 300,000 commuters are tipped to pass through the hub each day.

Westfield’s World Trade Centre icon

VIEW GALLERY

Tourists are also expected to flock to the site, which is located close to other points of interest such as Wall Street, the ferry terminal for the Statue of Liberty and of course the memorial and museum for the Twin Towers.

Visitors clad in suits or shorts are already streaming through the centre, with some pausing to photograph the towering arches of the Santiago Calatrava-designed Oculus, the sculpted white roof that frames the mall like the rib cage of an enormous whale.

Between the ribs, glass panels let light flood into the space, which feels cool and airy despite the blazing summer sun outside. On every September 11, the ceiling will open in memory of the more than 2700 people killed in the 2001 attacks.

Under the arches sits a central court where a stage is being prepared for tomorrow’s entertainment. A mix of mid-tier and high-end retailers encircle the court and stretch outward from the centre, with an Apple store spreading over two levels and brands such as Hugo Boss, Montblanc and Kate Spade also prominent.

**WARNING: ONLINE EMBARGO UNTIL WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20th AT 6:45am** 15/01/2016: Westfield CEO Steven Lowy posing inside of the construction site of the new mall at the World Trade Center in New York City. Westfield World Trade Center, is currently under construction in the new World Trade Center complex and will be operated and managed by the Westfield Group. The mall is due to open in May 2016. David Joshua Ford/The Australian

Instead of a flagship department store, such as the David Jones or Myer stores that often feature in shopping centre developments in Australia, the anchor tenant here is Eataly, an Italian cafe and retail outlet filled with giant wheels of cheese, bottles of olive oil, every shape of pasta, fresh fruit and vegetables and crusty loaves of bread. The plan is to offer plenty of pre-prepared meals for busy commuters to grab and go.

The history of the site is front of mind at Eataly, where patrons can sit at cafe tables looking through floor-to-ceiling windows out over one of the 9/11 Memorial fountains. The outlet also features a deadbolt door in case of emergencies.

In a nod to Westfield’s Australian connection, the mall includes an Ugg store, ready to supply the sheepskin boots that are wildly popular with New Yorkers once the weather gets cold.

Despite the city’s famous weather, ranging from blizzards to sauna-like humidity, there are few covered shopping malls in New York. Westfield hopes its newest centre will prove a hit with families looking for a convenient — and sheltered — way to do their Christmas shopping.

Stepping out of the mall and into the sweltering subway, a snowy Christmas feels very far away — giving the workers plenty of time to finish their drilling before then.