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Shopping centres face closures as retail hubs shift to other uses
Some centres are being redeveloped for flats and health facilities, while others are moving toward life science space as vacancies grow.
In the internet age, medium-sized shopping centres in the UK are struggling to survive, with empty units, shuttered storefronts and major tenants leaving, BBC Business reports.
The Brunel Centre in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, opened in 1973 and was once a busy retail destination, but it now has only one remaining store, Boots Opticians, set to close later this month ahead of planned demolition next year. In Cambridge, the Grafton Centre has shuttered units, a large empty former Debenhams store and a permanently closed cinema, with long term plans for redevelopment that include some retail plus a life science centre.
According to BBC Business, redevelopment may be workable in Cambridge due to its life sciences strength, but industry director Subjit Jassy of Pioneer Group, which owns the Brunel Centre, says there are too many such centres across the UK and many do not have a future.
The shift reflects how shopping centres are reinventing themselves as standalone retail demand weakens, with more space being planned for uses such as housing, health services and life sciences.