Shopping centers in the United Kingdom (UK) - statistics & facts

The collapse of the UK’s biggest shopping center operator

Until 2020, Intu was the UK’s largest shopping center owner, with Intu Metrocentre in Gateshead, and the popular Intu Trafford Center in Manchester. Valued at nearly 1.9 billion British pounds, the Trafford Centre in Manchester was Intu’s most successful mall and the property which generated the highest income. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced some retailers to close their stores and others to delayed rent payments to Intu, the company failed to gain breathing space from its lenders and plunged into administration in June 2020.

The UK shopping center panorama

Intu’s two biggest competitors are Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (UMW) and Land Securities, who manage a large portfolio of shopping centers and retail parks across the United Kingdom. As of 2020, Land Securities owned over 10 shopping precincts spread all around the UK, with St David’s in Cardiff, its biggest shopping center surpassing 1.2 million square feet. In contrast, URW’s largest shopping center is Westfield London, with nearly 236 thousand square meters of Gross Leasable Area (GLA).

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