The Mall Wood Green is a large shopping centre

Shopping mall

A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...

 and residential complex in Wood Green

Wood Green

Wood Green is a district in north London, England, located in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated north of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of the metropolitan centres in Greater London.-History:...

, North London. It is generally still referred to by its former name of Wood Green Shopping City; the signage on the building still uses that name.

The Mall is the largest shopping centre within the North Circular

A406 road

The A406 or the North Circular Road is a road which crosses North London, UK, linking West and East London. It, together with the South Circular Road, forms a ring road through the inner part of Outer London...

, with just over 100 retail shops, seven of them anchor stores, 45 market stalls, and an average of 221,000 customers per week. The centre and the adjoining shops on Wood Green High Road constitute the commercial hub of Haringey

London Borough of Haringey

The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs...

 and its surrounding areas.

Wood Green Shopping City

The centre was built in the 1970s as "Wood Green Shopping City", on the site of the former Noel Park and Wood Green railway station

Noel Park and Wood Green railway station

Noel Park and Wood Green is a closed railway station on the Palace Gates Line in Wood Green, north London. It was located on the north-east side of The Broadway adjacent to Pelham Road...

. Initially it included a number of unusual features, most notably a giant wooden climbing frame in the shape of a frog.

Unusually for a shopping centre, the A105 road

A105 road

The A105 road is an A road in London, England. It runs from Canonbury, in between Highbury and Dalston, to Enfield Town. The road is long. Part of the road forms Green Lanes, one of the longest streets in London, while the A105 also serves as the primary access route to the Shopping City shopping...

 runs directly through the complex, allowing many of the stores to have entrances directly onto the street. The two halves of the mall are linked by bridges at first and second floor level. The centre is six storeys high, but only the lower two floors are occupied by shops; the upper floors make up a housing complex known as "Sky City".

The centre suffered badly in the 1990s recession, with many of the established shops leaving and being replaced by pound shops and charity shop

Charity shop

A charity shop, thrift shop, thrift store, hospice shop , resale shop or op shop is a retail establishment run by a charitable organization to raise money.Charity shops are a type of social enterprise...

s. It was also the location for the short-lived and controversial 1998 game show Beat the Crusher

Beat the Crusher

Beat the Crusher was a game show airing on Sky One during 1999 in the United Kingdom. It was hosted by comedian Freddie Starr, with assistant Melinda Messenger. The show was noted for its bizarre end game, which featured two couples gambling their automobiles for the chance to win a new one...

.

Redevelopment as The Mall Wood Green

The centre was bought by current owners 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 2002 and renamed "The Mall Wood Green". The new owners carried out a £30 million rebuilding programme, altering the layout of the shops and adding a 12-screen cinema. The market hall was expanded, with a number of specialist retailers catering for the unusually diverse ethnic groups in the area. In 2007 the owners applied for consent to expand the centre further with a 3-storey extension on the site of an adjacent petrol station

Filling station

A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...

, which when complete will increase the mall size to 617,000 sq ft (57,300m²) and the total number of retail units to 123, overtaking rival Brent Cross

Brent Cross

Brent Cross is an area of north London, in the London Borough of Barnet. It is located near the A41 Brent Cross Flyover over the A406 North Circular Road. Brent Cross is best known for its shopping centre and the proposed Brent Cross Cricklewood development....

's 110 shops for the first time. Approval was given in May 2007, despite concerns raised about the possibility of flooding on the new site from the River Moselle

River Moselle (London)

The River Moselle, also referred to as Moselle Brook, is in North London and flows through Tottenham towards the Lea Valley. The river was originally a tributary of the River Lea, but it now flows into Pymmes Brook, another Lea tributary....

; in June 2007 it was announced that the bulk of the extension will be occupied by a new Debenhams

Debenhams

Debenhams 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...

 store. The proposal involved demolishing the existing Pearson's department store and extending the mall into space within and beyond this site. However, the Debenhams plan ultimately did not go ahead, and instead the bulk of the development site was taken up by a large Primark

Primark

Primark is a clothing retailer, operating over 223 stores in Ireland , the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium...

 store..

The Mall is also the venue for a craft fair, held four times a year.

Crime

Unusually for a shopping centre, The Mall has its own dedicated team of police, part of Haringey BOCU police. The scheme, initially called "Operation Partnership" but later renamed the "Retail Protection Unit", was introduced in 1998.

The areas surrounding the Mall have traditionally been affected by high rates of street-drinking and its accompanying alcohol-related problems. In 2005 anti-drinking legislation was introduced, and the police were given powers to confiscate alcoholic drinks and to disperse crowds in the area around the centre.

The Mall made headlines in 2006 when a shoplifter attacked and repeatedly stabbed Designer Outlet store supervisor Rudy Takkou. Takkou narrowly survived, losing 4 litres of blood.

Transport

Despite being situated on the site of a disused railway station

Noel Park and Wood Green railway station

Noel Park and Wood Green is a closed railway station on the Palace Gates Line in Wood Green, north London. It was located on the north-east side of The Broadway adjacent to Pelham Road...

, The Mall Wood Green is still very well served by public transport

Public transport

Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...

 in comparison to London's other shopping centres. Wood Green

Wood Green tube station

Wood Green is a London Underground station on the Piccadilly Line. The station is between Turnpike Lane and Bounds Green stations and is in Travelcard Zone 3. It is located at junction of Wood Green High Road and Lordship Lane...

 and Turnpike Lane

Turnpike Lane tube station

Turnpike Lane tube station is a station at Turnpike Lane on the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground, between Manor House and Wood Green stations, and in Travelcard Zone 3.It is located within the London Borough of Haringey...

 tube stations on the Piccadilly Line

Piccadilly Line

The Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the fifth busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line, running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...

 are both near the mall, and due to Wood Green High Road

A105 road

The A105 road is an A road in London, England. It runs from Canonbury, in between Highbury and Dalston, to Enfield Town. The road is long. Part of the road forms Green Lanes, one of the longest streets in London, while the A105 also serves as the primary access route to the Shopping City shopping...

 running through the centre of the development, it is possible to catch buses from directly outside the shops. Alexandra Palace railway station

Alexandra Palace railway station

Alexandra Palace railway station is in the London Borough of Haringey in north London, and is in Travelcard Zone 3. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by First Capital Connect...

is a short distance to the west of the centre.