The £340m development has transformed Derby city centre with two new anchor stores - Marks & Spencer and Debenhams - more than 150 stores plus Eat Central, which incorporates 12 food outlets and 800 seats and has attracted restaurateurs that have never before had presence within a shopping mall, like Hamburger Union, Nincomsoup and Pieminister plus other retailers that have never operated outside London.

The new shopping centre brings together a range of international, national and local fashion and homewares retailers to complement the demographics of the city. Approximately 100 retailers are new to Derby, including All Saints, Vero Moda, Jack & Jones, Zara, H&M, G-Star, Aveda, Monsoon and Swarovski. And some retailers have entered the East Midlands market for the first time, such as Bershka, Mexx, Hawes & Curtis and Polarn O Pyret.

These retailers join a line-up of tenants already trading at the existing centre anchored by Boots, French Connection, Sainsbury's and WH Smith.

Significantly the centre was 98 per cent pre-let on opening day, and almost all of the units were trading on day one. According to Mark Disney, director at letting agent CBRE, this reflects Westfield's assertive attitude to retail leasing. "We made it a condition of the lease that if they weren't open on day one they wouldn't qualify for rent phasing," he explains. "We think Westfield Derby has set a new standard for centre openings."

Westfield was equally keen to encourage retailers to deliver innovative shopfits, and both Next and Marks & Spencer have introduced their latest designs.

Derby City Council enthusiastically backed Westfield Derby, despite local concerns about its impact on the rest of the city centre, in the belief that it will significantly increase the city's retail penetration across Derbyshire and will continue to build on a very loyal customer base. The city already attracts approximately 19 million customer visits per annum.

Councillor Dave Roberts, Derby City Council cabinet member for personnel, performance management and economic development, added: "Our vision for Derby will transform the city into a principal retail and business destination in the East Midlands. The scheme has proved a catalyst for other regeneration projects led by Derby Cityscape and the celebrations taking place today are sure to be the start of things to come."

The centre saw footfall reach 150,000 on the day of opening, significantly up on previous maximum footfall of 113,000 for the old centre.

On the day of opening Michael Gutman, managing director UK/Europe, Westfield said: "This is a landmark occasion for Westfield in the UK. The successful opening of Derby is a major step towards realising the ambition we have for the British market that will see us open Westfield London next year and Westfield's Stratford City in 2011."

Westfield Derby will introduce the first Cinema de Lux to the UK in Spring 2008. The 12-screen, 70,000-sq ft cinema operated by National Amusements, will offer an unparalleled entertainment experience for cinema-goers.

Along with the Derby Playhouse, surrounding bars and restaurants, and other developments in the city centre such as QUAD, Westfield Derby and the cinema offer will contribute significantly to Derby's evening economy as well as helping to establish Derby as an arts destination. A survey carried out by Westfield during July 2005 found that the attraction of a cinema would encourage over 73 per cent of those customers questioned to visit the city centre more frequently, both day and night.

A range of stress-free customer services will also enhance the shopping experience. These include state-of-the-art concierge desk, a taxi lounge enabling customers to wait in comfort while concierge staff organise a taxi, and touchscreens throughout the malls providing mall navigation and up-to-date travel information.

RMUs and mall kiosks are an important part of Westfield's approach, and during the leasing campaign CBRE had a full-time surveyor just leasing kiosks, which has delivered the landlord £0.75m of annual rental income.

Westfield has also launched a brand new website, westfield.com/derby providing comprehensive information about stores, directions, customer services and events.

Other highlights include parent rooms and Playworld which will introduce Westfield's brand new children's soft play area to the UK, a Shopmobility service and Wi-Fi allowing shoppers to connect to a wireless network throughout the centre.

Westfield Derby assistant manager Matthew Slade said: "It has been fantastic. We have had feedback from retailers and they are all thrilled and are telling us they have exceeded what they were expected to do and are starting to revise their forecasts.

"The people of Derby wanted to see a change. Even though it's a city they see themselves as a small market town but now people throughout the East Midlands will see Derby differently."

Moving forward now, Slade said he wants to keep the momentum going. "We want to put Derby on the map," he added. "We don't want a launch event and people then to forget what is at the centre so we will now move into fashion shows and a lot of activities at half term with kids events. Then we will start into Christmas with a November 15 grand switch on event. Then we will be getting ready for the cinema at Easter."

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