The Mall Blackburn
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Location | Blackburn, Lancashire, England |
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Opening date | 1960s |
Management | Lorraine Jones |
Owner | Capital & Regional |
No. of stores and services | 130 |
No. of floors | 2 |
Website | The Mall Blackburn Website |
The Mall Blackburn, also known by its former name Blackburn Shopping Centre, is a shopping centre that serves the town of Blackburn, Lancashire, England and is owned by The Mall Company.
History[]
The shopping centre was built in three phases, with the final phase opening in 1979. The centre was refurbished in 1995, during which the lower floor of the former Co Operative Department Store was transformed into Ainsworth Mall.[1][2]
The centre was bought by Standard Life in 1993, later being known as Blackburn Shopping Centre. The firm put the centre up for sale in October 2002 with it being bought in March 2003 by Reit Asset Management, the deal being completed in June 2003.[3][4] The Mall Company purchased the shopping centre from Reit Asset Management in August 2004 under the former name of Blackburn Shopping Centre.[5][6]
Reit Asset Management put the centre up for sale in July 2004 after being approached by another development firm, this being The Mall Company under another name.[7]
Modernization[]
As with many other shopping centres of “The Mall” The Mall Blackburn has undergone a massive or “monster” development modernization project. Television screens, “Ask Me” points and other enhanced information is already provided and brand new areas such as WHSmith and Primark were built and opened on 26 July 2010.[8][9]
Plans for the revamp were known as early as January 2004, when the brief owners of the centre lodged plans to redevelop the centre, which was intended to have been completed in 2006.[10][11] The redevelopment plans were scrapped by The Mall Company within one month of the purchase of the centre in September 2004, due to the approved plans being unlikable.[12][13]
Action was welcomed on Lord Square at the time of the plans being announced, with the work intending to have started by June 2004.[14] Reit Asset Management had first announced the plans for the square in October 2003, as it would have been the first major redevelopment of the square in thirty years.[15]
T. J. Hughes were disappointed in not being included in the revamp in July 2005, with the store closing in September 2007 to make way for the redevelopment.[16][17]
The square was eventually ready for demolition by December 2007 with the interior being taken down brick by brick, with work beginning to demolish the entire square the following month.[18] The new centre was then pencilled to have opened in October 2009, which did not occur.[19][20] As well as the modernization of the shopping centre, The Mall Company has introduced “spend me” cards which are available.[21]
Transport links[]
The shopping centre is located in the centre of Blackburn and is a short walk to:
- Blackburn Railway Station
- Blackburn Taxi Ranks
See also[]
- Blackburn
- The Mall Company
References[]
- ^ "Shopping centre up for sale". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 11 October 2002. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ "Standard Life reveals reason for sale decision". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 5 November 2002. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ "Shopping centre bought". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 16 June 2003. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ "Reit buys Standard Life's Blackburn Shopping Centre". www.propertyweek.com. 28 March 2003. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ "The Mall snaps up three shopping centres for £380m". propertyweek.com. 13 August 2004. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ "Shopping centre deal for The Mall". thetimes.co.uk. 12 August 2004. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ "For sale! Bid in for shopping centre". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 6 August 2004. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Primark Blackburn opens Monday". placenorthwest.co.uk. 23 July 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ "Queues for Blackburn's £66m shopping centre". bbc.co.uk. 26 July 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ "I want square deal, warns store boss". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 17 January 2004. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Property news - Blackburn revamp plans lodged". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 23 January 2004. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "£15m Lord Square plan scrapped". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 8 September 2004. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "The square vanishes". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 7 January 2004. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Welcome action on Lord Square". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 8 January 2004. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Crumbling square to get massive revamp". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 2 October 2003. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Store disappointed at mall revamp". bbc.co.uk. 29 July 2005. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Revamp plans for shopping centre". bbc.co.uk. 29 July 2005. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Centre 'eyesore' made ready for demolition". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 19 December 2007. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "VIDEO: Bulldozers move in on Lord Square". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. 23 January 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Shopping centre demolition begins". bbc.co.uk. 23 January 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Amazing offers at The Mall Blackburn". themall.co.uk. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
External links[]
- Shopping centres in Lancashire
- Buildings and structures in Blackburn
- Lancashire geography stubs