The southern entrance of the Merrion Centre, as of 5 May 2007 |
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| Location | Leeds city centre, Leeds, England |
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| Opening date | 1964 |
| Owner | Town Centre Securities (formerly Leeds City Council) |
| No. of stores and services | 90[1] plus market stalls |
| Total retail floor area | 800,000 ft² including none retail areas.[2] |
| No. of floors | 2 (main retail area only) The centre has 20 floors of office space. |
The Merrion Centre in Leeds, England is a shopping centre opened in 1964. From construction to the present day the centre has been owned and managed by Town Centre Securities. Originally open air, the centre had since had a roof installed during the 1970s onwards. It is an early example of a mixed-use development including offices, car parking, retail (including a Morrisons supermarket) and entertainment including a bowling alley, a nightclub and several public houses. Currently most retail in the centre is aimed more towards the budget end of the market which means the centre is especially popular with working class people and students. The Merrion Market area features a range of independent stalls, shops and cafés ranging from mainstream but downmarket to idiosyncratic.
The centre had originally included an Odeon Cinema when it opened, however this closed in 1977 following a screening of Gone with the Wind. It remains empty and unused to this day only opening occasionally for events such as Heritage Open Days. The cinema inside is notable in the fact that other than the removal of the seating, it is unchanged since closing with original operating manuals and film posters in place and is admired by fans of 1960s and 1970s culture. The ground floor entrance is opposite the entrance to Morrisons and has been blocked up and replaced with Cash Machines.
One of the nightclubs within The Merrion Centre was the now-legendary 'Bar Phono', widely reputed to be the birthplace of the Gothic subculture.
The former Barclays Bank on the front of the Merrion Centre has since been converted into 'Oceana', which has become a new popular Leeds nightclub.
The Merrion Centre is currently undergoing minor refurbishment. The western side of the centre has been re-clad in part and the interior is being painted. New tenants have moved in such as a new Sainsbury's Local. The centre's Morrisons supermarket has been rebranded to fit the company's new corporate image, with minor refurbishment inside. Photographs have been put up inside the supermarket showing the shop in 1973, with photographs depicting amongst other things the tobacco and deli counters.
There are plaques in the floor at each entrance stating "Private property, no public right of way" to prevent the walkthoughs becoming public footpaths.
Woolworths' relocation to the Merrion Centre, from Briggate (now the House of Fraser) in the early 1990s provided the centre with another major retailer and increased footfall. The Morrisons in the centre is the main supermarket in the city centre and has seen a surge in custom since the building of many city centre flats in the property boom of the 2000s. However most of these are towards the southern end of the city centre, and for them the Morrisons in The Penny Hill Centre, Hunslet is nearer and also offers free parking.
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Much of The Merrion Centre remains almost unchanged since its construction. With many other cities renovating their equivalents of The Merrion Centre (the reconstruction of the Bullring, Birmingham, the Arndale Centre in Manchester being partially rebuilt and Eldon Square in Newcastle Upon Tyne being renovated), Leeds city centre's largest shopping centre was beginning to look dated. In June 2007 phase one of the renovation began, concentrating on the western side of the centre.[2]