The Mall Maidstone
Encyclopedia
The Mall Maidstone is a covered shopping centre in Maidstone
, the county town of Kent
. Together with the Fremlin Walk
shopping centre, which is uncovered, it is one of the two primary shopping venues within the town centre.
The centre has 535000 square feet (49,703.1 m²) of floor space, ranking it as the joint 60th largest shopping centre in the UK according to a 2008 survey by Retail Week
.
The Mall Maidstone was built in the late 1970s as the 'Stoneborough Centre,' with a 7 storey office block on the top, named 'Stoneborough House.' In the 1990s, the shopping centre was rebranded
as 'Chequers Shopping Centre,' to coincide with works on the main entrances and refurbishment work that was going on at the time. The office block above retained its original name.
In 2006, the centre was purchased by The Mall Fund, who once again set about refurbishing the centre with their own, distinctive pink corporate branding. An agreement was subsequently signed that Maidstone Borough Council
would move into the office block on top of the centre, after extensive refurbishment of that, and the construction of a 'Gateway' reception area. The council signed a 99-year lease and took up residence in May 2007, with the block renamed 'Maidstone House'.
Today, the Mall Maidstone hosts a wide variety of shops, from independent retailers such as butchers, JC Rook and Sons, to big chain names like Sports Direct and BHS. It is a key part of the town centre, also containing the Chequers Bus Station, retaining the old name, which serves as the main bus terminus for the town.
In 2011 Touch screen store guides where installed on the 2nd and 3rd floors.
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
, the county town of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. Together with the Fremlin Walk
Fremlin Walk
Fremlin Walk is a shopping centre in the town of Maidstone in Kent. it opened in 2005 after several years of development by Centros Miller to include of shopping and an 800 space car park.- History :...
shopping centre, which is uncovered, it is one of the two primary shopping venues within the town centre.
The centre has 535000 square feet (49,703.1 m²) of floor space, ranking it as the joint 60th largest shopping centre in the UK according to a 2008 survey by Retail Week
Retail Week
Retail Week is a UK-based news magazine covering the retail industry.Founded in 1988 by financial journalist Patience Wheatcroft and her husband Tony Salter, it is now owned by the business magazine publisher EMAP.The magazine is published every Friday...
.
Rebranding
Rebranding is the creation of a new name, term, symbol, design, or a combination of them for an established brand with the intention of developing a differentiated position in the mind of stakeholders and competitors....
as 'Chequers Shopping Centre,' to coincide with works on the main entrances and refurbishment work that was going on at the time. The office block above retained its original name.
In 2006, the centre was purchased by The Mall Fund, who once again set about refurbishing the centre with their own, distinctive pink corporate branding. An agreement was subsequently signed that Maidstone Borough Council
Maidstone (borough)
Maidstone is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Its administrative centre is Maidstone which is also the County town of Kent...
would move into the office block on top of the centre, after extensive refurbishment of that, and the construction of a 'Gateway' reception area. The council signed a 99-year lease and took up residence in May 2007, with the block renamed 'Maidstone House'.
Today, the Mall Maidstone hosts a wide variety of shops, from independent retailers such as butchers, JC Rook and Sons, to big chain names like Sports Direct and BHS. It is a key part of the town centre, also containing the Chequers Bus Station, retaining the old name, which serves as the main bus terminus for the town.
In 2011 Touch screen store guides where installed on the 2nd and 3rd floors.