Trafford Palazzo (Former Barton Square) £75 Million Mistake? : UK Dead Mall In Trafford Centre
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- A double header today, with a look at the unfortunate timing of Barton Square's "grand" reopening and a walking tour of The Trafford Centre.
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Despite being the UK's second largest mall, The Trafford Centre is on a knife edge. With the mall presumably closing again as the UK's second wave of COVID-19 takes hold, things don't look good.
Neither of these seem like dead malls in the typical sense of the phrase, yet there's a case to be made that they'll be lucky to make it through 2021.
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Please do another video on Trafford centre now, as it is thriving once again
The Trafford Centre was keeping the whole intu monopoly afloat pre COVID. I do have faith that as time progresses, The Trafford Centre will bounce back, and I do hope so, because I love its architecture, and it is a great shopping destination.
i have good news that since i last went in april
it was packed
As a child this place was so mystical. I used to love it. As sad as it may seem haha I have very fond memories of this place. The whole place will always have a place in my heart. It wasn’t just a shopping mall, it was a different world as a kid. So nostalgic to me. I hope it survives through rona. You’ll always be loved Trafford centre. 💜 I actually just found this video while looking for a walkthrough of the place. Thats how much I miss this place and just shopping in general. Great vid. 👍
Feel 100% the same, Steezy. Such an incredible mall and, like you say, it feels like so much more than that. Especially when you're a kid!
Me to
The memories I have of me and my mates walking into different shops and seeing how fast we could get kicked out. I remember one of my friends jumping in the fountain and getting gripped by security 😂😭
Trafford Centre is a big success. It is owned by the original builder now.
All malls are in trouble due to covid and chains going bust partly due to online but also mbo and asset strippers think Debs and Arcadia. Bluewater is a dead mall one side completely empty. RVP in Tunbridge Wells is a dead mall.
Thats post modernist kitch galore! Miami pseudo tropicana with a touch of Versace 1980s glam. I bet they will list it at some point in the future and it will be fun to see the reactions.
Brighton Pavilion remodelled by Albert Speer.
Thank you for your upload. I believe your channel will explode, because the video narrative is interesting without an over use of talking, great footage, just the right amount of time to film. I will continue watching all your videos 📹 and will be interested to see what happens in a years time.
Wow, thank you so much for these really kind words! I think the channel just passed its second birthday, but obviously it was difficult to get a ton of interesting content through covid.
Wow! Canadian malls look so dull next to these architectural wonders!
Don't be fooled, there are plenty of duller and smaller malls here as well, haha. Thanks for dropping by, and stay tuned for more soon!
Funnily enough, the Trafford Centre has now been bought by a Canadian company
Canadian indoor malls will survive, even thrive, in places like Edmonton and Winnipeg, where the winters are 6 months long and temperatures never rise above freezing from December into April. However, in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver, where because of more options, (and in Vancouver's case, a much milder climate), the accelerating loss of department stores and the disappearance or displacement of "recreational shopping" to online is already driving many malls into severe decline or closure. Best place in Canada for a mall now? Yellowknife.
This is the only nice one in the uk!
We used to go there frequently as a family when my children were growing up. The food hall was ideal as there were so many different vendors which meant we all could have what we wanted and still sit together. The shops that were in there offered something for everyone a particular favourite was Model Zone as my boys would spend their pocket money there. Now the family has grown up I haven't been back for 8 or so years. Thank you for posting.
Nice video. At least things are picking up now.
If I were management, I would relocate M&S into the old Debenhams and make it more of a destination store like Selfridges. This would fit in with M&S’s strategy of fewer but bigger stores that are destinations in their own right. For me, the current M&S feels cramped as they’ve managed to fit 3/4 floors into a two floor unit. Maybe a food-hall downstairs and then upstairs could be dedicated to clothing and home.
Failing that, I think either a return of Festival Village with a big open market and good rates for smaller independent retailers or some form of entertainment such as indoor go-karting, waterpark etc.
I think the centre’s current most important asset is the Orient as entertainment and dining are what drives people to shopping centres these days. So more non-retail ventures will be important for the centre as time goes on in my opinion.
Lakeside’s M&S is moving into their Debenhams next year, so could catch on
Holy Crap you predicted the future
Woah this is a beautiful mall: I've never even heard of it :/
If you can make it there, after covid that is, I'd definitely recommend checking it out :)
hey!! i'm from manchester and barton square is enjoying a resurgence as a primark opened on the bottom floor!! its connecting mall, the trafford centre, is extremely popular and teenagers meet there basically every day
Trafford centre is doing more than well ! It's business as usual, it's also under new management
Glad to hear it's doing well again as the pandemic (hopefully) winds down.
@@DeadMallWalking ''Plan'' demic
I work there so feel free to ask me Any questions also for anyone wondering it’s been bought by some other company and has recently been renamed back to its original name The Trafford centre opposed to the most recent name into Trafford centre
Oh cool, thanks for the comment! Yup, the sale was finalised shortly after I put this video live if I remember rightly. I guess my only question right now would be whether all of the staff areas, connecting hallways etc. are as fancy as the main centre or if they're just sort of your standard rundown mall fare?
@@DeadMallWalking nothing fancy there just grey brick with loads of clutter along them
i like the background music
Wonder what will happen if Debenhams leave, what can replace it? I imagine they will separate the two floors into two stores and accept the loss of a proper anchor.
Barton Square is a bit too much of a walk to nowhere, Would be cool to see that be a part of the Trafford centre for small businesses or something, that’s what the centre is missing more than anything else I think.
I think you're right on the money, Joseph. When Debenhams left the Metrocentre they did exactly that: split it in half, and Next now occupies the ground floor. The upper level is still blocked off for now.
That's not a bad idea; trying to get sort of an upmarket market (there's a tongue twister) feel to the place could be an interesting approach. I'd bet that rents are too high to allow for that though!
Well Debenhams now no longer exists, Boohoo.com have bought them and immediately announced the closure of all the stores. Same story with topshop, topman and miss selfridge, all bought out and their stores closed down.
If they don’t figure out some other use for these buildings in the next 10-20 years they’ll end up empty and derelict.
Traff been on life support since before COVID, now it doesn’t even get flowers dropped off by friends or family😔💐feels bad man
Is it even open right now? I'm not local enough to know. I assume it'll be "partially open" for Boots, food shops and stuff like that?
Last time I was here, in September 2019, the whole of it was so busy! Nice video.
Thank you! And yep, what a difference a year or so can make...
@@DeadMallWalking it is only because of the lockdown. Trafford centre will be thriving after the government stop this home imprisonment.
@@sdon5325 Trafford Centre as a whole? I agree. But this footage was taken pre-lockdown and Barton Square was struggling. They need to get some more retailers in there ASAP.
I think once lockdown is over and hopefully the restrictions are removed, people will be out in their droves again
Wow... My childhood was partially here. I can't believe it's gone so downhill.
It hasn’t, it’s just COVID! I visited today and it’s now amazing again after it was sold to another company.
Beautiful building, shame it's not doing well.
I'm convinced that if aliens find its ruins they'll be convinced that Manchester must have been home to the king of Earth, lol.
There's a griffon and a unicorn
I've never seen either of these malls before and am astounded how tacky they are, I had no idea anything like this existed in the UK. I'm so deep in the vapor that it now feels like all those statues are a reference to Vaporwave rather than the other way around.
If you thought this was vaporwave, just wait 'til we get to that food court. It's all just so needlessly ornate that it becomes impressive on that basis alone, haha.
@@DeadMallWalking I'll look forward to that... this place has a definite Vegas vibe.
I was in Trafford centre the other day it was Thriving once again. But not the Barton square.
It was surprising to see Trafford Centre so quiet, it's always absolutely packed whenever we visit. (Granted, that's always on weekends.) The food court is certainly doing the best, there isn't a great amount of people shopping in the stores, but the restaurants are always packed.
It's super busy and thriving recently. What a place.
Nice to see things improving! Will have to swing by for an update if I'm in the area any time soon.
Love the mermaid fountains
Yup, there are some really beautiful fountains in there
@@DeadMallWalking I went to England in 2015 I had fun our mall in New Mexico was built in 1981 it had fountains but were taken out in 2006
I've seen this place while exploring round there in Google maps and always thought, wow that's pointless.
It sort of made sense before it was enclosed, because it just felt like a freestanding area where Legoland and the Sea Life Centre were. Now it's like they're trying to join it up with TC, and I don't think people are going to go for it.
@@DeadMallWalking Additionally, it was meant to be a large, home goods centre. Hence the M&S home, BHS Home and Laura Ashley that opened with BSQ. It was never intended to be a full on shopping centre which is why it's on its own, out of the way.
Great video 👍 I'm in Liverpool so quite familiar with the Trafford Centre. I always think that even though its thriving as far as footfall and occupancy, how many of those people are spending much? I think a lot just go to wander, especially on bad weather days. Looking forward to the food court, defo one of my favourites and comparable to those in American malls :)
I’m literally going there tomorrow because it’s only 50 mins away from me
Oh great, swing by again and let me know how it was if you feel like it :)
Thank you for your upload. Beautiful mall.
You're welcome! Thanks for joining :)
Im commenting on this video 10 monthd after whilst covid is now on the fall and i am very pleased to say the Trafford is doing brilliant again !!
Love to see it! 🙏🏻
It was THE destination since day 1 and for so many years it was so so busy. Don't forget was it Festival Village section no longer exists? I vaguely remember it and I'll try to revisit it if I can make myself lucid dream it.
I much prefer the old Barton Square before the remodelling. Having an outdoor, Roman-style square with a large fountain and circle seemed so much more unique.
Yup, I agree with you. But, knowing how British weather is, I definitely understand the revamp...
I went to the Trafford centre in 2014, it was a decent place but looks rather dated, but I think it’s the theme of it
It was much busier than this when I went in October, especially Primark. I don't think this was a mistake. After COVID has gone away I'm pretty sure we'll see much more footfall in Barton Square.
That's fair enough! I may well turn out to be wrong. Maybe it will turn out to just be a case of bad timing.
Some areas are facing deprivation at the cost of all this. No mention of these areas though. Just ignore it.
I was under the belief the palm trees were fake and made by a company called NatureMaker. They provide a lot of metal trees for retail outlets.
If I remember rightly, they have a mix of artificial trees and the real palm trees I talk about in this video! Unless they’ve been replaced since I made the video…
With that architecture and interior design, the developers should just convert the whole thing into a mausoleum/columbarium.
Well, I just learned the word columbarium today! Not a bad idea, man. Thanks for the comment!
I live 15 minutes from there go every week it’s been bought out now but I think many of the proposed shops and reastraunts are effected by covid , but the real question is why build a second floor if you can’t fill up the first floor , and even worse is they have Just lost 2 more stores a kitchen one and Laura Ashley so they gained primark but lost 2 more . If anything they need a tourist attraction like Madame Tussaud’s or new experiences
That's fair, Niall. No denying that the opening was at a bad time, but it really does seem like they carried out the conversion because they could without really thinking about whether or not they SHOULD. Agree that another attraction would do well there, but not sure there's really the space for it how that section is set up right now!
To be fair the primark takes up enough space for a dozen units.
I worked there on the day it opened and have worked at several stores including a Jeans shop (gone), Tog24 (gone) Selfridges and Debenhams.
Losing an anchor store like Debenhams is bad, don't know who will replace them - Debenhams at one point also bought the store next to them (Pier 21) so they could expand the shop space.
Still a much nicer place than anything closer including the monstrosity that is Stratford Mall and Manchesters own Andale Centre
yay I'm so excited you uploaded!!
Aww shucks, thank you. Hope you enjoy!
I went there yesterday and it is definitely the worst state I’ve seen it in; none of the fountains (except the Barton Grange one) were operating which I have never seen before in 19 years I’ve been going there, probably to stop people gathering but they looked in a very poor state when switched off. Post-COVID, I think I will recover; it was still busy when I went and I think Barton Grange will make a comeback, just don’t know how exactly.
Wow, no fountains?! That really is grim. Thanks for your comment, and I hope you're right re: recovery in 2021.
What an interesting channel, hat off to you for the idea. Keep up the good work, it’s a sub from me.
Welcome aboard, and thank you! You have an interesting concept as well - I'm hoping to check out the grave of the "Elephant Man" next time I'm in London.
I’m going today
I think the Trafford centre will be OK, although Intu where in trouble it was because of their other centres/malls the Trafford centre has to be one of the most successful malls in Europe. The other thing that the Trafford Centre has going for it is that it’s a true destination, it’s as busy in the evening as it is during the day. People go to eat or watch a move (the Trafford Centre has the busiest cinema in the U.K.) COVID has thrown a spanner in the works - we’ll have to see what 2021 brings.
You would think so, wouldn't you - it's very well-trafficked during normal times. I'm actually not sure which centres intu was losing money on, I'd be interested to find that out.
costly. beautiful but a waste of money for a building to stick a few shops in 🤷♀️ i mean it'll probs close down after corona.
Very possible. Need to quickly get both some big-name food places and retailers in (Primark is a decent start, I guess) to make it a big draw, IMO.
Why not rezone it? Make it a mixed use, high end town house, condo, flats.
I don't think anything like that will be on the cards until the area has a chance to become successful post-covid. Sure would be interesting to see a mall converted to housing though.
Take a drink of water before recording your VO's :) but thanks for the video, was fascinating
Yeah, I have biiig problems with dehydration and it shows in my voice, haha. I like to think I've gotten better at this now, but it's an ongoing struggle.
Given news yesterday that ITV will immediately end their I'm a Celebrity attraction at the Lowry mall in Salford, any plans to make a video?
Oh mannn, so you think the Lowry is at death’s door? I’d love to get there, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to pull off a trip before Christmas...
@@DeadMallWalking I think it might limp on a bit longer but there aren't too many retail units left open in there, just the cinema, eateries and a few lonely stores.
This was owned by INTU, who have sold off a number of centres recently. Is this one part of a pending sale? Or are they having trouble selling this? Prob because of it’s ridiculous price tag!
Still owned by intu as far as I am aware! Last sold a decade or so ago for £1.6 billion, so I can't imagine them letting it go for south of £1 billion.
These malls should get rezoned. I'd love to see them as apartments. I could do laps walking and never have to leave the "house". Each store could be an apartment. Increase the plants pleease
Check out the Americana in California - they have apartments right there in the mall!
Viva las .....errh Manchester!
Intu in Merry hill Birmingham has changed as well not sure who’s taken over now
Their Wikipedia page says that "Ellandi LLP" are the current owners, but I'm not sure if that's accurate or not. I'd like to visit that place some time in the future.
Music around @0:30? Thanks!
If you mean the first classical track, it’s Clair De Lune by Claude Debussy!
Trafford Centre isn't very dead now
Nope, and I suspect it will keep getting even busier as things come out of lockdown.
Hi I must admit it's not easy to run the Trafford Centre it's no joke I hope it gets busy inshallah ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️