(05 Jul 2020, 10:52 am)Adrian wrote One of the biggest things for me is that both the Metrocentre and Eldon Square just fell into intu's bland corporate identity, rather than having their own unique quirks about them. Of course, they'd have needed a refurb anyway, but you can do that without losing all sense of identity. The Metrocentre used to have all the greenery everywhere, the 'street stalls' and of course the hot air balloons. It gave it a bit of an outdoor feel, which the village added to.

You of course also had Metroland, which I believe was completely unique at least in Europe... having a theme park inside a shopping mall. I know for a lot of people, it used to serve as a place to leave the kids to entertain themselves, whilst the parents went shopping.

I think the sweetshop is still where it used to be in the blue, but I am almost certain a second one has opened (perhaps in the yellow?), but there is not much else in the way of independent shops. They're a big miss for me, and something that would attract me to use a shopping centre. You've got no chance though with the sky high rents that the intu charge. They're not the only ones mind, as even the likes of the Bridges and Galleries are struggling on that front. Long gone are the days of finding independent record stores and grabbing bargains! 

I can remember the computer shop that used to be in the red mall upstairs? Can't think of the name of it. You also had the games shop that was in the bus station, next door to the Chinese takeaway and the bookies.

I think the computer store was called byte, or something like that. 

Bigun used to buy slushies from either of the two identical sweet shops. 

When the Metrocentre was owned by the church commissioners, they did a deal with small businesses of reduced business rates for the first year or so, which is what got the antiques court and the old roman forum going. If course now the roman forum is a dining zone that can't stay full and the antiques bit just can't stay even not almost abandoned.