Iconic Australian shopping centre brand Westfield to expand across Europe

The New Zealand Herald

What started in the backstreets of Blacktown is now coming to Paris and Prague after winning over London and New York. But there's a drawback to this Aussie success.

When the residents of Paris and Prague, Stockholm and Warsaw head out for some retail therapy this weekend they'll notice a new, unfamiliar and very Australian name taking pride of place on their local shopping centre.

Westfield, a brand born in Sydney's western suburbs, is taking over Europe.

Already a big deal in New Zealand, the US and UK, it's now on the march to France, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Poland, as it becomes one of Australia's most successful retail brands.

Jenni Romaniuk, a research professor at Uni SA's Ehrenberg-Bass Institute and author of Building Distinctive Brand Assets, said bringing Westfield to major centres across Europe was a smart move.

"Even the people who like online shopping also like going to a shopping centre because it's a social event. So having a strong international brand in that space creates economies of scale," Prof Romaniuk said.

Read the full article in The Herald.

Posted on September 22, 2019 .