The end of shopping centres?

[sotiredofthislonelylife]

Apparently, the vast majority of people surveyed in Nottingham do not wish to have another (indoor) shopping centre in place of one recently demolished.
I can understand that some areas are in desperate need of regeneration, but I’m not convinced that a return to shopping ‘streets’ is the answer.
I can remember the misery of trying to shop with babies/small children/people in wheelchairs in wet and windy weather. Dealing with coats, umbrellas etc., when going in and out of stores was frustrating and often curtailed the outing.
Comparing that to the ability to park above the shops, and wander around in comfort without worrying about crossing roads and protecting everyone from sun, rain, wind and snow, it just seems a backward step.

AIBU = Most people prefer a return to High Street type shopping
AINBU = Shopping centres make life easier, especially for families

Our high streets are dead up here and shopping centre is going the same way. The lovely landlords charge a ton on rent, even the big shops are leaving.

Can’t stand indoor shopping centres. Always feel slightly claustrophobic and trapped, feel like I need to be aware of where the exit is so I can escape.

Much prefer high street shopping - even on Oxford St which I know lots of people hate!

I'd much rather go to a retail park. Our town centre has hardly any shops left, it's mostly cafes, charity shops and betting shops. The council tried to improve footfall by introducing 2hrs free parking but it was too little too late. It only applies on one day and it's a struggle to find a space on the free day. The rest of the time the fees are extortionate. I spent £8 parking in town last time I went to the hairdresser but I can't remember the last time I paid to park up and browse through the shops. It's a shame as some of the cafes are really lovely but I'd rather go to the Costa out of the town centre for free than deal with the stress of a parking and paying for the privilege.

I love a good high street, me. I do wish parking was reasonable though, if not free, and there were toilets and bins.

Briggate in Leeds is a perfect example of street shopping 👌

Ours feels like it is dying. It was built in the 80s and I remember it absolutely bustling during my childhood and teenage years. The department store has closed in the last year and other retailers have gone too - now it just feels like Primark, H&M and Boots and a load of jewellery shops and phone shops. Nothing of interest at all! They are more convenient and accessible but have no atmosphere. Cabot Circus as mentioned in a PP is quite decent. I went to Cambridge today for the first time since the pandemic started and felt quite sad at all the empty units. The Grafton Centre feels done for (although it has for a while now). Lots of people tall about out of town retail parks as having finished off shopping centres but they're such horrible soulless places: ooh, yet another Next, The Range and M&S. Joy!

I live in Nottingham. I think we had a narrow escape when Intu went bust. Its true most people don't want another shopping center or even a shopping zone. The city has another existing centre with (still) a John Lewis. Also there is no single large edge of town retail centre to draw footfall from the city centre, there are several in different areas. I really hope the city centre becomes more mixed use again with different small businesses and residential as well as shops. And a flipping connected cycle route. Its very difficult though, I think many smaller cities and towns are going to have to reinvent their centres. Its hard to drum up enthusiasm for shopping after a year out of it.

I find shopping malls with chain stores boring. I hate going to them. I like shopping streets with a mix of chain and independent shops but I work mon-fri 9-6 so they are always closed when I want to shop and I don’t want to spend Saturday shopping. If they had more convenient opening hours I would pop along after work but now I enjoy online shopping more.

Broadmarsh was on its way out for years - since Alders went bust at least and when was that, probably 2003?

Nottingham is better for the individual stores between Broadmarsh and Victoria Centre, and it’s not massively far to the far better shopping malls in Leicester or Sheffield. The road system in Nottingham completely puts me off going in.

Yes it was around 2003 - I was at university there at the time! Broadmarsh was even rubbish back then tbh!

The Broadmarsh always was a depressing brutalist dump and no glowing angel to wheelchair users. The wing up past the caves was always a disconnected PITA. Nottingham still has the Victoria Centre and a thriving High Street scene. It was dilapidated 20 years ago before the major growth in online shopping, and a big shiny new shopping centre would just displace the existing retail and leave ghost "towns" in its wake.

It's not so much that shopping centres have had their day as many city centres already being over capacity for demand.

Well, I hope there’s some town planners reading this thread. They’ll be the people with a lot of decision making power on how we will use our cities in the future.

They need to be consulting with a wide range of people to make sure it works for those who do the majority of shopping for households. Mums of C&YP and older women are a big demographic shopping on the high street. And I’m not entirely convinced our needs will be considered in all of this impending change.

I love going into town and I’ll be gutted if there’s nothing left for me.

I don't think the choice is high street or shopping centre. I think the choice is online shopping or actual shops and given that online shopping is unlikely to reduce, we are unlikely to see any new shopping areas, whether streets or centres.

That was a very long sentence!

Broadmarsh was always the poor relation at the wrong end of town, and it probably should have been demolished a decade ago. It won’t be missed and whatever they put in its place will be an improvement.

Leicester has two big shopping malls which both work well. Highcross in town is very modern & shiny, while Fosse Park is out of town, by the motorway with free parking. It’s very, very popular and has just opened a big extension.

@ChelseaChop
I love going into town and I’ll be gutted if there’s nothing left for me

Same

but I think a lot of people are moving away from pouring into the local mall of a Saturday, shopping in identikit shops and having a meal in an identikit chain afterwards

Yesssss. This is me. Four generations of females (daughter, me, mum, gran) up on a Saturday morning for Costa coffee followed by a look around the shops. Then covid happened.

Now we go for a long walk around the woods before walking to gran's house for a cup of tea in her garden (at distance) and a good old chinwag. And no plans to change that now the shops are open.

It's better for our health and well-being and better for our bank balances. I think we fell into the trap of thinking it was the only thing that a 10yo and a 70yo had in common and could enjoy together. But covid has changed that.

OP our town centre is having consultations for the same thing at the moment, having realised "shopping as a leisure activity" is dying.

They've mapped out the space with primarily kids zones, multi-generation meeting zones, micro-business zones, and community zones. Lots of it will be outdoors.

The consultation is still happening but last I heard they were suggesting a large adventure type park, seating areas and meeting spaces with street food vendors / coffee stalls (which can be used for more adulty events in summer evenings), micro-business "pop-up-shops" (they are trying to get a plastic-free grocery supplier on board for a permanent space) and then a dedicated community space for workshops, classes etc.

I think it's a great idea and I'm really excited to see what they do with it. IMO this is what town and community centres should be about. Instead of here is a shopping centre it should be what does your community want? We need to plan for the next 20-30 years and centres for rampant consumerism and huge chain businesses can is A) something I think many will be glad to see the back of and B) something that can be done online.

Lets bring social offline and back into the community, and retail giants out of the community and online?

I lived in Nottingham for a few years and the Broadmarsh was always dismal, so not surprised that it’s been removed and residents don’t want one in its place. Personally I find the whole “mall” shopping experience to be soulless and a bit depressing, but each to their own.

I’m sad to see the decline of shops but retailers are their own worst enemy.
Small ranges in store, things like plus size or maternity online only - they are pushing away their own customers.
I generally prefer high streets to big shopping centres as I like a mix of chain & independent shops, restaurants & cafes

I don't shop much on the high street to be honest and haven't since the 90's really. If I do I prefer to go to a big shopping centre like Bluewater and will go once a year or so. I like indoor centres in comparison to the high street due to the weather being mostly shite.

The Broadmarsh was a dark depressing dump with only one decent shop in it. It’s a trek away from the superior Victoria Centre where all the big brands are. I wouldn’t want it rebuilding, and think the green space idea is good. I think it’s mainly that it has been obsolete for years than anything else. However I have only been in clothes shop twice for my kids in the last year (once was to get feet measured.) and have embraced online shopping. I don’t think I need physical shops as much as I used to. Though online purchases can be a bit hit and miss.

I could not care less whether the shops are outside on the street or inside in a shopping centre - as long as the place has the shops I need
Unfortunately those shops have gone now!!! Can't ever get used to that
Still HATE shopping online but forced to now

Give me the High Street any day. You can walk there or take public transport, essential for non-drivers. Independent shops and cafes, charity shops, buskers/street artists, you usually bump into someone you know and fresh air.
Retail parks and indoor centres are hideous places, full of screaming children, inconsiderate dawdlers, miserable looking males of all ages, that smell which is either cheese and onion pasties or BO and they are bloody inconvenient for those who do not or are unable to drive.

I find shopping malls with chain stores boring. I hate going to them. I like shopping streets with a mix of chain and independent shops

Do these exist anymore?

I have lived in a lot of towns and cities over the years and I can tell you the high streets look exactly the same. So much so that if I wasn’t thinking I would think I was on a different town.

The high street started to decline when it was decided to pave it over, paint yellow lines everywhere and charge for parking just as places as shopping malls started to open and offer under cover shops and free parking.

Fwiw I have never lived anywhere where I could walk into town and the bus fare has always been pretty extortionate

I absolutely hate shopping centres, grim, soulless places no matter how much muzak and food courts they cram in. I'd rather be in a street taking my chances with getting weather. However, I expect I'm in the minority here.

It helps if the shopping centre is connected to transport.
Ours has loads of parking, the main bus station underneath and the train station across the road and its the town centre too so can do high street and mall together.
I think our local one does quite well, yes there's the usual shops you'd find everywhere but also independents and the market has been given a space indoors too, there's also not many empty units which can make a place feel eerie.

Hate shopping malls, love a good high street. High streets do need toilets and Hough.