It seemed, for a few hours at least, as if Leona Lewis had managed to banish Britain's credit crunch blues entirely. Thousands of shoppers flocked to see the X Factor star lend her soaring vocals to the opening of Europe's biggest urban shopping complex – and get a glimpse of the center's gleaming marble floors and crystal chandeliers.
Before performing at London's £1.7-billion Westfield development, the songbird urged the crowds to put their economic woes to one side. "Enjoy the shops. It's right on our doorstep – we need to use it," said the Hackney girl, who was joined at Thursday's ceremony by Twiggy, Gary Lineker, and his fiancée Danielle Bux.
London Mayor Boris Johnson echoed Leona's advice, telling the throng to get the cash tills ringing. "As someone who has attracted criticism for the cut of his suits, I'm about to join you," joked the politician famous for his lax sartorial style.
Five years in the making, Westfield is a shopping mecca with 256 shops, 50 restaurants, and a cinema on a site covering an area the size of 30 football pitches. It also boasts 96 escalators – enough to go to the top of Ben Nevis and back – and 600 changing rooms. Not to mention hi-tech features such as 'Kidspotter', a tracking device that allows parents to find within minutes children who get lost.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Teeming throngs passed through the doors of the new Westfield center, which spans 43 acres and nine London postcodes, to hear Leona Lewis perform
Photo: © Rex
Photo: © Alphapress.com
At the center, which took five years to construct, the singer urged them to "enjoy the shops"
Photo: © Rex
Photo: © Alphapress.com
A host of celebs took part in smaller ceremonies in many of the 256 shops, such as this one in La Senza, where the honours were done by the lingerie brand's spokesmodel Danielle Bux and her football commentator fiancé Gary
Photo: © Getty Images
