Shopping
Inside barren shopping centre that was once Europe’s largest indoor mall
![Inside barren shopping centre that was once Europe’s largest indoor mall Inside barren shopping centre that was once Europe’s largest indoor mall](https://i2-prod.dublinlive.ie/news/world-news/article28710543.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200/1_screenshot-2023-02-22-113824.jpg)
Shopping City in Runcorn, Cheshire, was once the heart of the town when it opened in 1972.
It was the biggest indoor shopping centre in Europe at that time and was connected to the hospital, courts and nearby modern estates by sky walkways. In its early days, it was very popular, with people coming from Manchester and Liverpool to shop there.
But now, despite being renovated ten years ago, it feels old-fashioned. Big shops that used to attract people, like Woolworths and Littlewoods in the 70s and 80s, and Tesco and The Range more recently, have all closed down, Cheshire Live reports.
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Now, the shopping centre is full of empty shops, some of them quite big. Adam Killen, 29, who works as a barber in Runcorn’s Old Town, said it’s: “A shopping centre with no shops in it.”
Gail Mayers, 61, who was shopping with her daughter, Lisa, said: “It’s always been the same. There’s nothing here,”
Lisa Mayers, 35, added: “We’ve had everything in here but it’s getting worse, emptier. Even the bank has shut down,” pointing towards the former Santander branch that is now empty. Adverts on the windows of this and other empty shops say ‘Excellent retail space’ ‘Make this space your own’.
Nathan Dawson, 30, out shopping with his little boy Arthur, who’s just 3, thinks the town centre is stuck in the past. “It’s behind the times,” he says. “It’s just stayed in the early 2000s.” Nathan feels the place needs a big update to make it feel new and exciting again. He also reckons that while other places nearby get all fancy, this town doesn’t get much love. “Everything seems to be developed around Runcorn, but never Runcorn itself.”
Magda Spratek, 35, who manages The Coffee House, says they have their regular customers, but they hardly ever see any new faces. She opened her coffee shop in Shopping City in June 2021. Magda wishes for a big store like Primark to come and attract more people.
“It would be so much nicer if we had a place like Primark; a big shop to bring people in.” She sees the same people so often she wonders how they can keep coming back. “I see the same faces so often that I wonder how they can afford to come here all the time.”
Barbara Roberts, 80, has been living here for forty-eight years and volunteers at Castle View Primary School. She feels sad about how much the town has changed. “It’s a shame,” she says. “I’ve been here forty-eight years. It’s a shame that it has changed; both the new town and the old town.”
Lisa Williams, 50, Barbara’s daughter, also thinks the shopping centre isn’t as good as others. But she likes how they try to bring everyone together with art. “It’s a bit behind other shopping centres,” Lisa mentions. As they walk by some cool art made by local school kids in the middle of the shopping centre, she adds, “I do like the way they try to bring the community together with art,”
“We’ve got to go over the bridge to buy normal things. All the investment goes over there [to Widnes],” says Mrs Roberts.
The mother and daughter think the library next to Shopping City is really important for everyone, especially kids who go to school nearby.
“I’ve been working here for twenty years, and it’s the same faces you see coming in every day,” shares Rob Garrett, 39, from ACT:R, a men’s clothes shop that’s been in Shopping City for over 30 years.
“They’ve tried to do things to get new people in there was a crazy golf course [in the square at the centre of Shopping City] last summer but I think a lot of people would rather go to Warrington or Widnes now.”
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