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The Brunel Centre was once a thriving retail destination, attracting shoppers from far and wide.
"It was incredible," says town councillor Keith Ely, who remembers its opening in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, in 1973.
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who → publish → 1973
Back then, centre:MK, a large destination shopping centre four miles away in Milton Keynes, did not exist, and the Brunel was quite the draw.
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Brunel → exist → Keynes
Now, like many other medium-sized shopping centres, it is struggling.
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it → struggle → centres
Vacant units and graffiti-daubed shutters dominate, and it has just one store left.
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it → daub → store
That remaining shop, a Boots Opticians, is set to close later this month ahead of the centre's planned demolition next year.
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shop → remain → demolition
But Ely, 87, is not upset to see the Brunel make way for flats and a health centre, with only some retail space.
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Brunel → see → space
"It is a sad old building, isn't it?" he says.
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he → say → ?
In the Grafton Centre, Cambridge, it is a similar story, with shuttered units, a large empty former Debenhams department store and a permanently closed cinema.
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it → close → units
This may work in Cambridge, a global leader in life sciences, but it is not an option in much of the country.
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it → work → country
So, in the age of online shopping, what lies ahead for these medium-sized malls?
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what → lie → malls
"There are too many in the UK and many don't have a future," is the stark assessment of Subjit Jassy, a director at Pioneer Group, which owns the centre.
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which → be → centre
"The old model of retailers expanding to improve turnover has now disappeared because of the internet."
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retailers → expand → internet
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Analysis by commercial property firm CBRE, external found that while the vacancy rate across UK shopping centres in the second quarter of this year was 16%, it was "significantly lower" at major centres.
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it → find → centres
Meanwhile, research by estate agents Savills found between April and June 2026 almost 73% of consumer spending in shopping centres was in the biggest sites, with less than 18% in secondary, or medium-sized centres.
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% → find → centres
"It is not just that shopping centres have one destiny; they really don't," says Dr Kardi Somerfield, a lecturer in marketing at the University of Northampton.
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Somerfield → have → Northampton
Some destination shopping centres are running at "almost 100% occupancy", she adds.
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she → run → occupancy
Back at the Brunel, Labour's Ed Hume, responsible for housing at Milton Keynes City Council, says: "We do need shops.
"
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We → say → shops
The change here is about making sure we have a town centre that is much more open."
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that → make → centre
The hope is that more town centre homes will increase the number of people to use local businesses.
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homes → increase → businesses
Similar plans in Norwich will see the Anglia Square development primarily replaced by housing.
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development → see → housing
Market Walk in Northampton is to become a leisure and entertainment space.
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Walk → become → Northampton
"Other shopping centres have a really important purpose as a community hub," says Somerfield, outlining another potential use.
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Somerfield → have → use
This is what management are trying to achieve at another site that opened in the 1970s: Weston Favell, on the eastern edge of Northampton.
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that → try → Northampton
Footfall – the number of customers entering the building – has increased every year since the pandemic, says centre manager Kevin Legg.
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Legg → enter → pandemic
"We are still relevant today," he says.
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he → say → ?
"Other shopping centres are trying to emulate and create what we've got.
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we → try → what
"
What they have got is a mix of a large supermarket, a number of big national brands and smaller independent businesses, as well as other community facilities.
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got → get → brands
It is currently being used by Silhouette Youth Theatre, a charity that aims to make the arts more accessible.
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arts → use → Theatre
Next year it plans to create a 250-seat theatre inside part of a former Wilko store.
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it → plan → store
George Grande, voice lead at Silhouette, says being located in a shopping centre means more people can easily arrive by public transport and gives the group more visibility.
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people → say → visibility
"We've had it before where people are like 'Oh, what's this? We don't know what this is.'
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this → have → it
"That is how we can get other people to join us."
Do you have a story suggestion?
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you → get → suggestion
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