A chunk of the vacant Debenhams space at Westfield London has been signed for, and will become home to an interactive football games and entertainment venue.
TOCA Social- whose owner counts sports stars Harry Kane and Leah Williamson as backers- will start converting 35,000 square feet at Europe’s largest mall next year. It plans to welcome customers to 25 playing boxes and two bars also serving food, the Evening Standard can reveal.
A division of US company TOCA Footfall, this opening will mark the Social brand’s third UK site. It follows success at its Greenwich branch at The O2 where it has attracted over 300,000 visitors in the past year alone.
There was also a strong performance during the Women’s World Cup 2023.
The new venue will feature arcade machine games and a selfie booth, and is aimed at families, millennials and Gen-Z, and will also host corporate events.
Alex Harman, president of TOCA Social said: “There is a clear and accelerating trend of people wanting more experiential entertainment. We really feel we have only scratched the surface of the London market and there is room to grow further.”
The letting means more of the space used by Debenhams before it closed in 2020 will be occupied, with retailer TK Maxx taking part of the store earlier this year.
Scott Parsons, UK chief operating officer of landlord Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield said: “Our strategy focuses on evolving and transforming our spaces in line with changing consumer demand, creating cutting edge entertainment and retail experiences that are second to none.”
He added: “We’re excited to sign TOCA Social to Westfield London, the latest example of a URW partnership to repurpose a traditional anchor department store into a fresh and dynamic offer.”
Parsons said that the White City shopping centre is continuing to bounce back post-Covid with openings over the past year including beauty giant Sephora and entertainment offering Sixes Social Cricket.
Recent sales data for July showed dining is up 21% and entertainment is up almost 36% at Westfield London from a year earlier.
