The Exchange Mall was once the heart of recreation and shopping in Ilford, but now there has been a shocking loss in popularity and utilization of this place from the years 2014 to present day.
It’s truly sad to witness this, as this mall was the height of my childhood where I would regularly go with my family but the emergence of new, superior and more modern options has dwindled and chipped away at the Exchange Mall, for example the agglomeration of retailers just a couple hundred yards away from the Exchange that arguably provide more to the consumer than the exact same retailer in the Exchange which is truly surprising, and not to mention Stratford’s Westfields. You would expect that the retailers placed in the Exchange would be more popular due to the clustering effect.
“I can’t explain it, but this place just doesn’t compete to the likes of Westfield and lakeside” – Quotation by IG1 resident (of whom I spoke to personally) which coincides with google reviews, for example Sue Tarrant, a local guide says “It has gradually been ruined over the years. It used to be lovely” – both these quotes and a plethora of others agree with my view about how after the building of Westfields and other retailers, the Exchange has frankly been left uncared for.
With the new Crossrail developments (predicted to finish in 2019), Ilford will become far more accessible as currently it is on a tube line that is rarely used (Great Eastern Main Line)so after the £15bn mega project of Crossrail’s we can hypothesize that the Exchange would rise back to its former popularity, or somewhat near it – We are all looking forward to Ilford’s bright future with the addition of the Crossrail which will, in my opinion, definitely increase Ilford’s popularity and possibly bring in new investments.
Aksaan Arif - Bancrofts
