Will Noble

East London To Get An All-Asian Shopping Mall

An artist's impression of the new shopping centre.

East London is to get an all-Asian shopping mall — (debatably) touted as Europe's first — when East Shopping Centre opens in October.

Currently being built on Green Street in Newham, it will comprise 35 two-storey units, a 17-unit souk (for smaller traders), and a large food court.

Developers hope that East Shopping Centre — built on the site of a former bus depot — will generate up to 200 new jobs, as well as add further Asian shops to the area, which already features a large number of jewellery, Asian clothing and similar stores, catering to the predominantly South Asian population.

A spokesperson from ACR Investments Ltd, which is spearheading the project, said:

"Green Street is already a major hub for people to shop for clothes, food, accessories and everything in between. "Our aim is for East Shopping Centre to enhance the street’s appeal and expand on this vibrant shopping destination by attracting new consumers and businesses."

As yet, it's undisclosed which traders have signed leases for East Shopping Centre, although those in jewellery and fashion are tipped to feature prominently. A panoply of Asian cuisine (which the area already knows a thing or two about) will sate hungry shoppers.

East Shopping Centre will use solar panels to supplement electricity supply, and flow restrictors and harvesters to help conserve water.

The last major mall to spring up in east London was Westfield Stratford City, which opened in 2011, and is the third-largest shopping centre in the UK.