Shopping centre operator Westfield is further raising the profile of digital out-of-home in its British malls with plans for new LCD video walls at its massive Westfield London site, in the west of the city.

It has handed the contract to Esprit Digital, which earlier this year completed similar installations at the operator’s new Stratford City site in east London.

And the order for more video walls comes just weeks after Westfield commissioned Clear Channel Outdoor to wholly digitise the advertising estate at its six non-London locations.

Recounting the firm’s Stratford experience, Westfield national account manager Chris Lynham said: “Esprit Digital were appointed to deliver the digital signage strategy for Westfield Stratford City, an obvious partner given the requirement for technology that was quickly available in large quantities, sufficiently robust for a shopping centre environment and capable of being designed into the infrastructure of the building.

“Westfield had no previous experience of managing their own digital network in the UK, and Esprit worked with us to overcome the obstacles of a large construction project against exceedingly challenging timescales while advising on all aspects of the project to ensure all the large-format video walls were fully operational for the launch on 13 September.”

The displays at Stratford City include a 102-screen array, weighing five tons, outside the John Lewis anchor store.

Esprit’s managing director Peter Livesey added: “With falling screen costs and a stable ad market, returns on digital networks are currently being measured in months rather than years. Our top-end clients have all had their digital disasters, but where Esprit scores heavily is the long-term reliability of our technology in the field. Everything comes with five years’ warranty, but the real key is integrating the best components with proper heat-management systems – only that combination truly minimises downtime and gives network owners the best possible chance of success.”

CBS Outdoor handles advertising sales for the two London malls.

www.cbsoutdoor.co.uk
www.clearchanneloutdoor.co.uk
www.espritdigital.com

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