Westfield's KidZania Begins Recruiting Staff
"Reality theme park" set to open early next year
KidZania, the children's education and entertainment centre due to open at Westfield in Shepherd's Bush early in 2015, has begun recruiting staff.
On its new KidZania London website the centre says it is actively recruiting a highly experienced and motivated team, with jobs available in sales and marketing and finance, plus a number of management level roles in operations.
Hundreds of more junior roles are set to follow as the centre prepares to open.
KidZania, which is costing £20 million to build. will be a "reality theme park" with its own city centre, including streets and vehicles, where children can take on jobs and earn money in the centre's own currency KidZos.
The town will have its own university and workplaces, all at two thirds size, such as vets' surgeries, cockpits of planes, banks and TV studios, each of which will be sponsored by a well known company.
KidZania is being created in an extension within a two storey extension of Westfield at roof level space, which was given the go ahead by Hammersmith and Fulham Council.
Along with additional retail space including the expansion of Marks and Spencer, Westfield says it will lead to the creation of around 400 local jobs.
KidZania was launched in 1999 by Mexican businessman Xavier Lopez, and it has since expanded to 12 sites including Tokyo, Dubai, Bangkok and the only other European site, Lisbon, with another 11 in the pipeline alongside Westfield.
The Shepherd's Bush site will operated by a leisure company called Longshot, founded by entrepreneurs Joel Cadbury and Ollie Vigors, which has previously run Soho members’ club the Groucho, the Soho health club, gym Third Space and pubs including the Admiral Codrington in Chelsea.
KidZania could also provide a further boost to our local economy, with the operator hoping London’s KidZania will attract up to one million visitors a year.
July 18, 2013
