Reported by The Guardian
It’s 20 years since Jo and Richard Hill bought anything in Rotherham city centre. Why have they and so many locals abandoned it for the nearest retail park – and what would it take to change their minds?
O n 22 May 1987, retail history was made in Rotherham. Parkgate Retail World, thought at the time to be the UK’s largest open-air shopping centre, welcomed shoppers for some one-stop retail therapy. The official opening was marked in swanky fashion with a “breathtaking” display from Marlboro’s red-and-white branded biplanes, followed by a “spectacular” laser show, the first in South Yorkshire. Helen Worth – Coronation Street’s Gail Platt – cut the ribbon before jovial local people jostled to fill their car boots with goods from Comet, Jolly Giant and Poundstretcher.
Almost 40 years on, the razzle is a bit less dazzling. Parkgate, as the retail park is called now, looks like any large big-box outdoor shopping centre you might find on urban fringes. There’s a Primark, a Sports Direct and a Matalan, plus (of course) a Frankie & Benny’s. Shoppers still seem to love it. “I think it’s ideal. It’s got everything here,” says Robert Gordon. The 66-year-old retired factory production manager had popped to Pets at Home to get a cupcake and toy for his dog Bruno’s fourth birthday.
More from the original report
Gordon has lived in Rotherham for 24 years. “A lot of people come to outlets like this. It’s very rare we go into the town centre and, if we did, we’d go to Sheffield,” he says. He is hardly an outlier. Almost half of Britons don’t visit their high street weekly. Instead, shoppers are opting for retail parks . Business is so strong, retailers are scrambling for spots, even paying extra to secure their place. By the end of 2025, only 4.8% of retail park lots in Britain were vacant, according to real estate consultancy Knight Frank – the lowest level on record. Vacancy rates for UK high streets, on the other hand, sit at 13% , reports Savills.
Gordon remembers a time two decades ago when you “couldn’t move” in Rotherham…