Daily Mirror
Stretford Mall was built in 1969 on the site of Stretford’s
One of the four major urban areas in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester. original shopping centre, in the former King Street. Originally known as the Stretford Arndale, at the time of its opening it was the sixth-largest indoor shopping centre in the UK.[1] The name change was part of a rebranding exercise that took place in 2003,[2] by which time the mall was facing mounting competition from the nearby Trafford Centre;[3] the annual footfall between 2008 and 2016 dropped from 6.1 million to 3.7 million. The mall entered receivership in 2010, and in 2018 a large section of the by then empty retail space was demolished.[2] The entire complex was demolished in 2026.[3]
When it opened, the mall was fully air conditioned, with tropical fish tanks and fountains. It housed three large supermarkets, a restaurant and parking spaces for 550 vehicles. There was also soon a nightclub, El Patio, immortalised in the song “Reel Around The Fountain” by The Smiths. The vast tiled undercover Stretford Square sat at the centre of the complex, from which the various shopping areas radiated out.[2] A grand staircase led from the square to a mezzanine level, housing more retail outlets.[4] Over time the mezzazine level was gradually abandoned, leaving “something of a time warp” of the original 1969 decor.[5]
It was hoped that with its large central square, able to seat 1,000 people, the mall could be used to host public gatherings such as exhibitions, musical evenings and dancing displays.[4] As one of the largest covered shopping centres in the country, Stretford Arndale attracted many famous names in its early years, for promotions and to open big name stores. Notably the boxer Muhammad Ali in 1971, promoting the malt-based bedtime drink Ovaltine in the Tesco store. Contrary to some accounts, Muhammad Ali did not open the Stretford Arndale in 1969,[2] that honour fell to the Mayor of Stretford, Councillor W. Matthews.[4]
Stretford
The property company Bruntwood, in partnership with Trafford Council, acquired Stretford Mall in 2019.[1] They decided to demolish what was described in Pevsner’s The Buildings of England series as a “dispiriting 1970s shopping centre”,[6] and re-establish King Street as “a lively new high street”, and create a new residential quarter.[1]
