A ONCE thriving shopping centre has become an eerie “ghost mall” with rows of empty shops.
Disappointed customers have slammed the iconic Quayside Shopping Mall in Salford Quays, Manchester, for being a “waste of time”.
They say the outlet centre, plagued by broken doors and lifts, has been left to fall into decline.
As reported by the M.E.N, there’s a staggering total of 30 empty units, most of which sit gathering dust on the upper floor.
It was dubbed “a very strange empty gallery of nothingness” by one reporter who took a look around.
In fact, the upper hall was so empty it was reminiscent of something from an apocalypse movie.
This echoed recent grievances from shoppers who branded the centre “freezing cold”, “empty” “dead” and “very disappointing”.
Some residents have blamed new parking fees for the decline at Quayside.
The car park costs £2.30 for 0-2 hours and £4.50 for 2-4 hours, which goes up to £16 for 6-12 hours and £22 for 12-24 hours.
But millions were funnelled into Quayside five years ago and owners say there are more future plans as part of “Salford Quays 20230 vision”.
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Despite the investment, locals fear the shopping centre will continue to fall short of their rival Cheshire Oaks, at Ellesmere Port.
However, there is more of a buzz on the lower ground level packed with outlets including M&S, Clarks, Cadbury and Next.
And, shoppers still flock to the food court which is home to Burger King, Subway, Chicken Cottage, and many more.
Meanwhile, a brand new Oxygen play centre has been hailed by families.
A Quayside spokesperson said: “Peel Retail & Leisure has been working intensively behind the scenes to plan for Quayside’s future as part of the Salford Quays 2030 vision, which means a full review of what resides in the centre.
“We are developing the plans for Quayside to transition and become a place more suitable for a town centre and this means realigning the offering to provide a better customer experience for visitors.
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
“We have already done this with the likes of Kargo.MKT, which has been a resounding success, and we’re aiming to emulate this with other offerings in the future.
“This will take time to achieve but we are committed to developing a destination that has something for everyone, whether you’re in Salford Quays to live, work, or enjoy your leisure time.”
In response to customer complaints on the temperature and parking they said: “We welcome customer feedback to help better the experience of Quayside for everybody and will be reviewing points raised in regards to temperature.
“We encourage customers to familiarise themselves with signs and pay stations at the Quayside car park and our staff can support if anything is unclear.”
This comes as many retailers, both independent and industry giants, continue to struggle.
Dozens of shops are set to close across the country before the end of the month in the latest blow to UK high streets.
Just a few months in to 2025 and it’s already proving to be another tough year for many major brands.
Rising living costs – which mean shoppers have less cash to burn – and an increase in online shopping has battered retail in recent years.
Just this week former staple of the high street Quiz crashed into administration with the immediate closure of 23 stores.
New Look bosses made the decision to axe nearly 100 branches as they battle challenges linked to Autumn Budget tax changes.
Approximately a quarter of the retailer’s 364 stores are at risk when their leases expire.
This equates to about 91 stores, with a significant impact on New Look’s 8,000-strong workforce.
It’s understood the latest drive to accelerate closures is driven by the upcoming increase in National Insurance contributions for employers.
The move, announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in October, is expected to hit retailers hard – and the British Retail Consortium has predicted these changes will create a £2.3billion bill for the sector.
Meanwhile, the WHSmith brand name looks set to vanish from British high streets after 230 years.
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In a fresh update, Boots UK also told The Sun that 253 stores have now shut as part of cost-cutting plans.
And, Homebase launched a big closing down sale as two more stores will shut amid 35 closures this month.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024.
End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker.
It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date.
This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023.
It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns.
The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker.
Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations.
Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.
Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
