.gif)
The Mall (Luton)
Encyclopedia
The Mall Luton is a large shopping centre in the centre of Luton
, United Kingdom
. It was formerly an Arndale Centre until it was purchased by The Mall Company
in 2006. It was temporarily called The Mall Arndale, but is now referred to as The Mall Luton.
, the Mall purchased the site in January 2006. The Mall Luton is undergoing changes and new investment. The centre has 128 shop units occupying 754556 sq ft (70,100.5 m²), and parking for 2,300 cars.
The area that would become the new shopping centre was cleared during the 1960s. Many notable buildings which had escaped the damage of World War II were subsequently demolished. Work started on the new shopping centre in the late 1960s and when it opened The Arndale Centre in Luton was the largest covered shopping centre in Europe; it was later ousted from this position by the Manchester Arndale
centre.
In January 2008 it was announced that the Woolworths
shop which had been in the Mall since 1973 would be closing. The shop was closed in March 2008 when the lease expired. The store is now a three level Marks and Spencers.
There are currently a significant number of empty units, or short term lets. Some of the national-chains have closed during 2007 and 2008, including Currys Digital, Woolworths, Burtons and Base. Independent retailers have also been closing, some blaming the perceived decline in the centre.
There are a total of 128 retailers.
, The Mall Company
has started a multi million scheme to remodel the St George's Square end of The Mall Luton.
The development will create 8,825 sq m (75,000 sq ft) of new retail space across 8 new retail units. Three levels of car parking at the top of the development will provide an increase of approximately 200 car parking spaces. On completion The Mall Luton will total 77,199 sq m (831,000 sq ft).
The new six-storey building will have an entrance directly onto St George's Square, with escalators inside the building taking shoppers to the main mall level.
Ken Ford, Chief Executive of The Mall, said:
TK Maxx has been announced as the new anchor tenant for the extension, with Argos also taking a unit. Completion of the St George's Square redevelopment was planned for autumn 2009. However, due to the recession the funding was delayed. The completion of the redevelopment is now planned for autumn 2010.
Although much of the site is either car parking or vacant, two grade II listed buildings and several locally listed buildings would be demolished, including several 19th century hat factories for which the town was once famous. The plan has been criticised by English Heritage
and the Victorian Society who described the plans as "shocking". Following the comments the Mall have stated that following discussions with council officers, “amendments to the application are being made”.
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was formerly an Arndale Centre until it was purchased by The Mall Company
The Mall Company
The Mall Fund owns and operates a number of shopping centres in England and uses the trading name "The Mall Company" The shopping centres are usually branded as "The Mall"....
in 2006. It was temporarily called The Mall Arndale, but is now referred to as The Mall Luton.
History
Originally opened in 1972 as The Arndale Shopping Centre in LutonLuton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, the Mall purchased the site in January 2006. The Mall Luton is undergoing changes and new investment. The centre has 128 shop units occupying 754556 sq ft (70,100.5 m²), and parking for 2,300 cars.
The area that would become the new shopping centre was cleared during the 1960s. Many notable buildings which had escaped the damage of World War II were subsequently demolished. Work started on the new shopping centre in the late 1960s and when it opened The Arndale Centre in Luton was the largest covered shopping centre in Europe; it was later ousted from this position by the Manchester Arndale
Manchester Arndale
Manchester Arndale is a large shopping centre in Manchester, England. The centre was built in the 1970s when many other cities were constructing large malls. Manchester Arndale is the largest of a chain of Arndale Centres built across the UK in the 1960s and 1970s...
centre.
Anchor stores
Key stores located in and around The Mall Luton include:- ArgosArgos (retailer)Argos is the largest general-goods retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland with over 800 stores. It is unique amongst major retailers in the UK in that it is a catalogue merchant...
- Boots
- DebenhamsDebenhamsDebenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
- TK Maxx
- Tesco Metro
- WilkinsonsWilkinson (shop)Wilkinson or Wilko is a British high-street discount chain with over 300 stores, selling primarily homewares and household goods.Founded in 1930 Wilkinson Cash Stores by James Kemsey Wilkinson, the company has remained largely in the hands of the founding family since...
- Marks and Spencers
- PrimarkPrimarkPrimark is a clothing retailer, operating over 223 stores in Ireland , the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium...
- Next
- Game (retailer)GAME (retailer)The Game Group plc is a British video games retail company. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index....
- WH Smith
- HMVHMVHis Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
- Foot LockerFoot LockerFoot Locker, Inc. is an American sportswear and footwear retailer, with its headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and operating in approximately 20 countries worldwide. Formerly known as Venator Group, Inc., it is the successor corporation to the F.W. Woolworth Company , and many of...
In January 2008 it was announced that the Woolworths
Woolworths Group
Woolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...
shop which had been in the Mall since 1973 would be closing. The shop was closed in March 2008 when the lease expired. The store is now a three level Marks and Spencers.
There are currently a significant number of empty units, or short term lets. Some of the national-chains have closed during 2007 and 2008, including Currys Digital, Woolworths, Burtons and Base. Independent retailers have also been closing, some blaming the perceived decline in the centre.
There are a total of 128 retailers.
St Georges Square
Following the completion of the redevelopment of St George's Square in LutonLuton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, The Mall Company
The Mall Company
The Mall Fund owns and operates a number of shopping centres in England and uses the trading name "The Mall Company" The shopping centres are usually branded as "The Mall"....
has started a multi million scheme to remodel the St George's Square end of The Mall Luton.
The development will create 8,825 sq m (75,000 sq ft) of new retail space across 8 new retail units. Three levels of car parking at the top of the development will provide an increase of approximately 200 car parking spaces. On completion The Mall Luton will total 77,199 sq m (831,000 sq ft).
The new six-storey building will have an entrance directly onto St George's Square, with escalators inside the building taking shoppers to the main mall level.
Ken Ford, Chief Executive of The Mall, said:
"Our proposals will provide enhanced retail units in order to improve the retail offer in the town. They will also improve The Mall Luton's relationship with the town - by providing bright, modern shop fronts and a landmark new entrance we will vastly improve the Mall's presence onto St George's Square and help create an attractive area for the people of Luton to shop, eat and relax."
TK Maxx has been announced as the new anchor tenant for the extension, with Argos also taking a unit. Completion of the St George's Square redevelopment was planned for autumn 2009. However, due to the recession the funding was delayed. The completion of the redevelopment is now planned for autumn 2010.
The Northern Gateway area
In December 2007 a further planning application was submitted for a much larger extension to the Mall, which will be a multi use development. As well as several much larger shopping units, housing and office space is planned. The site is between the Mall and Train station, and would see total redevelopment of Silver Street, Bute Street, one side of Cheapside and Part of Guildford Street.Although much of the site is either car parking or vacant, two grade II listed buildings and several locally listed buildings would be demolished, including several 19th century hat factories for which the town was once famous. The plan has been criticised by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
and the Victorian Society who described the plans as "shocking". Following the comments the Mall have stated that following discussions with council officers, “amendments to the application are being made”.