mall arndale centre uk

Originally opened in 1972 as The Arndale Shopping Centre in Luton, the Mall purchased the site in January 2006. The Mall Luton is under going changes and new investment. The centre has 128 shop units occupying 755,000 sq ft (70,100 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 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. It is thought that Marks and Spencer, which currently have a smaller store within the mall, are to relocate there.[1] In December 2008 Woolworths went into administration with 200 stores closing in the last week of December and the remainder to close by 5 January 2009 unless a last-minute buyer can be found.

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.[2]

There are a total of 128 retailers.