Livat Hammersmith is today celebrating its first birthday having welcomed millions of visitors since it opened last year, and is performing twenty per cent ahead of footfall expectations. Since its launch Livat Hammersmith has doubled its reputation amongst local shoppers as a responsible, modern and innovative destination, and has established a firm reputation as a friendly place to spend time with family and friends1.
Livat, means ‘a lively gathering’ in Swedish, and the Hammersmith high street destination has lived up to its billing in its first year of operation, bringing a fresh new mix of retailers and experiences to the Hammersmith community. New arrivals to Hammersmith have included IKEA, Sook and the Library of Things, while JD has returned to the borough after a ten year absence. The meeting place also hosted the global launch of the Atelier100 pilot, a unique retail incubator programme for hyper-local designs run in partnership between Ingka Group and H&M.
Sustainability is at the heart of Livat Hammersmith’s offer, balancing economic growth and positive social impact with environmental protection. As the first ever small format Livat meeting place in the world it is setting new standards in encouraging responsible travel habits amongst visitors, 48 per cent arrived on public transport, and a further 42 per cent arrived on foot. Just four per cent arrived by car2 .
The celebrations of a successful first year of operations since the £170 million investment in the redevelopment of Livat Hammersmith were officially opened by local MP, Andy Slaughter. Local people enjoyed a range of activities including circus actors, music and a free mocktail bar, and were joined by Councillor Stephen Cowan, Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.
Natalia Petelina, Meeting Place Manager of Livat Hammersmith commented:
“We are so grateful for the warm welcome of the local community and the UK’s retailers since our arrival in Hammersmith last year. As both our first meeting place in the UK, and our first ever smaller urban meeting place globally, we’ve been able to try out new concepts and bring world-first experiences to our local community. The ideas and opportunities we’ve pioneered here in Hammersmith are already informing how we bring value to the communities in and around our 48 other meeting places all around the world. As we celebrate this weekend I’d like to say a huge thank you to all those that work in and around Livat Hammersmith and our many loyal visitors.”
The first year of operation for Livat Hammersmith has created dozens of new jobs and of the hundred of employees that currently work at the meeting place, 60 per cent live in the borough or immediately adjacent boroughs.
