‘Space-age’ UK shopping centre once the biggest in Europe is now ‘ghost town’ with empty shopfronts & deserted walkways
A 'SPACE-age' shopping centre that was once the biggest in Europe now resembles a ghost town as the UK's retail market struggles to stay afloat.
The complex was inspired by American-style malls and was opened by the late Queen in 1972, but now many of its stores are derelict.
Runcorn's Shopping City in Cheshire, was designed to be a one-stop shop, which would stock every necessity for the town under one roof.
The building's structure broke the mold for the architecture at the time, with its sharp edges and minimalist frame.
At the time, it was described by The Times as "a sort of building imagined by science fiction writers.
"In appearance, it resembles a supersonic mosque, with gleaming white bricks even on the dullest day."
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Just eight years after its grand opening there were 100 shops in the 807,000 sq ft complex.
It became a hub of entertainment too, with cinemas, a bingo hall, betting shops and pubs.
The walkways were lined with carpet and the centre was linked to the local hospital and courts by sky walkways.
A Royal Mail stamp was also created in its honour with the words "Runcorn Shopping City: Largest in Europe."
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Shoppers were told they "need never walk down the high street again", which left a bad taste in the mouths of many independent businesses in the area.
However, over the years it lost its charm with the people of Runcorn who complained about the lack of variety and empty shops.
Addressing the issue, Gill Sarath, centre coordinator said Runcorn Shopping City's management team is "actively working to improve the shopping experience" for visitors.
“We are proud to share that footfall at Shopping City is up year-on-year, with an average of 53,000 visitors each week, and we anticipate this to increase further as we enter our busiest retail period of the year.
“Like many retail centres and local high streets, we have been impacted by the industry shift towards online shopping and popular out of town retail parks.
“Additionally, national brands are adjusting their strategies to focus more on flagship city-centre stores and larger destination malls like Trafford Centre and Liverpool One.
One frustrated resident argued it needs to "either be fixed or knocked down completely".
The anonymous local told Warrington Guardian: "Runcorn Shopping City needs to be closed.
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"At one point it was a trend setter across Europe, now it's a bleak impression of what the Tories have done to this country and shows that nobody cares about the residents of Runcorn anymore."
The Sun has contacted Runcorn Shopping City for comment.
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025."
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
"By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."