Shopping centre's last traders fear for future

Eccles Shopping Centre was bought by Salford City Council in December 2022

Traders say they are being forced out of business because of falling footfall that they claim is caused by the redevelopment of a town's main shopping centre.

Many shops have already closed at Eccles Shopping Centre, Salford, where demolition work is due to begin in September, but those who remain say they are feeling the punch.

Barry Fallows is one of several shop owners who said takings had "plummeted" in the last six months as other traders have left the site ahead of demolition.

Salford City Council has been contacted for comment.

Andy Flaherty said the shops had seen a rapid decline in fortunes since last summer

Salford Council has previously said the redevelopment would cause short-term disruption but would eventually lead to a more vibrant town centre.

Under the local authority's plan, the rest of site will be kept open for at least three years before proposals to create a "vibrant" new centre are drawn up.

It comes after a 2022 consultation found the shopping centre was "unloved, downtrodden and left behind".

Andy Flaherty, who runs the Eccles Community Cafe from inside the shopping centre, said the businesses that remained "can't sustain" themselves for long.

Their closure was "inevitable" unless Salford Council reduced the rent, he told BBC Radio Manchester.

"Last summer, you wouldn't have got a table in the place, there were queues outside the doors, you could've waited an hour for food because we were that busy.

"Now, you get your breakfast within two minutes because we've got nothing else to do."

The redevelopment is to start with the demolition of a disused multi-storey car park

Salford Council bought the shopping centre in December 2022 from Columbia Threadneedle Properties for £4.15m.

The redevelopment is set to begin in September 2024, starting with the demolition of part of the shopping centre and the disused multi-storey car park.

Barry Fallows runs the Salford Charities 2gether store at Eccles Shopping Centre

Barry Fallows of the Salford Charities 2gether store said trade had taken a nose-dive in 2024.

"It was up to £900 a week - it's now £350", he said, adding the turning point was "when Home Bargains closed last Christmas".

"Salford Council don't take any notice of you, when the demolition work begins, I think it'll close us".

Vicki Warren said the town centre of Eccles used to be "bustling"

Vicki Warren, who also works at the community cafe, said Eccles town centre had become "like a ghost town".

The area used to be "bustling, with "loads of shops", she said, but now it was "wall-to-wall shutters".

"It's just soul destroying really, it's just sad, heartbreaking."

Salford City Council previously said the changes were part of plans to repurpose the town centre.

"We need to think about how Eccles works for people: fewer shops, more green spaces and more leisure choices," a spokesman previously said.