The Galleries (Wigan)

The Galleries

Entrance to The Galleries shopping centre, Wigan
Location Wigan, UK
Coordinates 53°32′51″N 2°37′57″W / 53.54750°N 2.63250°W / 53.54750; -2.63250
Opening date 1890,1972,1990
Management Ellandi LLP
Owner Colony Capital
No. of stores and services Over 100
Total retail floor area 438,540 sq ft (40,741.7 m2)
No. of floors 2
Parking 625 spaces
Website Official website

The Galleries is a shopping complex the town centre of Wigan, Greater Manchester managed by the Ellandi retail group.[1] It is divided into three sections formed from three formally independent schemes (Marketgate Shopping Centre, The Galeries Shopping Centre and the Makinson Arcade). The layout of the complex features a combination of covered malls, walkways and open squares.

History

The Marketgate Shopping Centre originally called the 'The Wigan Centre Arcade', was built 1972 in the town centre, on former commercial yards and markets. Opening in 1974, it went under radical remodelling in 1988 when the adjoining Galleries Shopping Centre was constructed. This new shopping centre, with 60 retail spaces, was completed 1990 and opened in 1991. These centres, though connected, were independent of one another and were only brought into a joint ownership in 2002 when Prime Commercial Properties acquired both properties. In 2006 they were sold to Propinvest Limited during a portfolio transaction,[2] subsequently Propinvest also acquired the nearby Victorian Makinson Arcade, built in the 1890s. In 2015 Colony Capital purchased the complex in a £310.5m asset transaction along with other retail properties across the United Kingdom.[3]

Decline

Since the opening of the nearby Grand Arcade shopping centre in 2007, a number of retailers have relocated from The Galleries to it including Boots and River Island [4]. The complex also had big blows in 2016 when Argos and Morrisons both announced they would be closing down their shops in the centre.[5] In late 2016 a large portion of the Marketgate Shopping Centre was sectioned off from the public due to low unit rentals.

Future

In 2014 outline planning approval was granted for the redevelopment of the area into the 'The Makinson Quarter' and the creation, on the site, of a new shopping mall,[6] However as of 2017 the state of the proposal remains in limbo.

References

  1. ↑ "The Galleries Shopping Centre, Wigan, WN1 1AR" http://www.ellandi.com
  2. ↑ "Galleries & Marketgate Centre Review" http://www.wigan.gov, March 2007; Retrieved 27 May 2017
  3. ↑ "Colony Capital completes £311m all cash Gemini swoop after Värde Partners", CoStar Group, Monday, October 12, 2015; Retrieved 27 May 2017
  4. ↑ "Hughes next to move to town?", Wigan Today, Monday 26 March 2007
  5. ↑ "Another blow for shopping centre", Wigan Today, Thursday 05 May 2016
  6. ↑ "£60m Wigan town centre masterplan gets go ahead", Manchester Evening News, 11 November 2014

The Galleries website

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