The Instagram-friendly shopping centre delivering 'industry-busting' footfall

Merry Hill shopping centre is in Brierley Hill near Dudley

Gyms and cinemas have become commonplace in shopping centres, as operators work to fill large units left empty by failing department stores.

But in order to survive, many are now working hard to reinvent themselves as lifestyle destinations, offering wider leisure pursuits, high-end food and drink outlets and events worthy of social media shares.

The evolution from a traditional place to shop into a social and community hub has helped drive the success of the Black Country's Merry Hill centre, said manager Jonathan Poole.

The success of the centre is helping to boost local employment, with industry professionals crediting innovation as a reason why centres like it are "bucking the trend" in decline, with Merry Hill recently named one of the UK's top ten most Instagrammable shopping centres.

Shopping alone is no longer enough to attract customers, Poole says, with the centre now offering an extensive food court, gym, electric darts, escape rooms, as well as events and a new flagship family entertainment centre.

Since taking control of the centre in 2021, the manager said footfall had increased by 32% and figures from December show it was operating at about 10% above the national average for similar centres.

And a new canalside food venue, set to open nearby later this month, will not only be positive for the shopping centre but the region as a whole, he says.

Merry Hill centre manager Jonathan Poole says footfall had risen by 32% since he took over in 2021

The mixture of retail and leisure, and the "right brands for our customers" had helped drive the success, Poole said.

Investment by large companies such as Marks and Spencer in refurbishing their stores had also helped, the manager explained.

The centre has also introduced new brands to the UK, including furniture firms and electrical retailer, Harvey Norman.

Fitness brand XF Gym, which offers yoga, boxing, dance, and cycling has brought in "a completely different new customer," Poole said.

Jake and Lily Saunders welcomed the leisure offering on their doorstep

Merry Hill visitors Jake and Lilly Saunders, said they had brought daughter Phoebe to the centre to play mini-golf and visit the new arcade.

"There's not much to do with kids around here when the weather's not great, so it's really good to have an option and to not have to go all the way to Birmingham," said Lilly.

"I remember it as a kid, but then it went downhill where all the shops were closing," added Jake, "but now there's something for everyone.

"It doesn't matter what age group you are, whether you're with your mates from work or your family, there's something to do and all the food offerings as well," he said.

"It's nice to have this on your doorstep."

A new family entertainment centre includes mini-golf, darts and escape rooms

Poole said events, such as bringing in an enormous Easter Egg and an immersive Christmas experience for children, helped raise its popularity and social media profile.

"People don't just want shops now, they want that experience to come here, and meet friends go for a coffee and put it on Instagram and TikTok," he said.

"The retail and leisure mix, plus the events and the campaigns, plus what the fantastic team do on site, puts us apart from others and [creates] this almost industry-busting footfall that puts us ahead of the rest of the country."

A giant Easter egg at the centre helped with social media success, says the manger

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said footfall had continued to decline on high streets and shopping centres across the country last year.

"Disappointing" figures for December "capped a challenging year," she said.

It had marked the third consecutive year of decline, she added "reflecting the continuing evolution in shopping habits and the retail landscape".

"Those shopping locations which have bucked the trend have done so by creating a complete offering, making themselves a destination for shopping, eating, drinking and leisure activities."

Leisure company Funstation have recently opened their flagship arcade at the shopping centre

Merry Hill's newly opened Carnival Golf and Games offers three mini-golf courses, laser and VR games, as well as escape rooms and electric darts.

The 23,000-sq-ft (2,137-sq-m) centre has taken a part of the unit left empty when Debenhams shut its physical stores.

"It represents our largest and most ambitious project yet," said chief executive James Miller.

General manager Stefan Edwards said it was attractive to a lot of families, but "it's not just focussed on kids, the demographic is for absolutely everybody".

He said the centre's success was also helping boost local employment, and he had been helped in taking on about half of his staff in conjunction with nearby Dudley College.

"When you're opening anything new it's always location, location, location, isn't it?" he said.

"It's obviously growth on growth with Merry Hill, they're obviously doing something right."

The Carnival Golf and Games manager says it offers entertainment for a wide demographic

The Centre for Cities said adaptation was crucial to the survival of high streets and shopping centres, but their success was a reflection of the local economy.

Analyst Oscar Selby said: "When people can do much of their essential shopping online, high streets with a wider variety of retail, leisure and hospitality are better at offering residents a reason to visit.

"The shift from retail to a wider variety of uses, including hospitality and leisure, is a shift that's happened over time, and predominantly in more affluent places.

"High streets across the country draw their strength from the local economy. The best measure to improve a place's high streets for the long term, is to strengthen the local business base and create more local jobs, giving people more money to spend."

Digbeth Dining Club's Jack Brabant says there is a real buzz around the Brierley Hill area

Dockworks Waterfront, run by Digbeth Dining Club, will open on 27 February at the former steelworks beside Dudley Canal Marina, near the centre.

The 7,000-sq-ft (650-sq-m) site has been empty for about 15 years, but was turned into a hospitality space for up to 650 people.

Jack Brabant, co-founder, said the group had always been very keen to bring a food offering to the area, and would also be hosting live music and comedy, as well as street food traders the club is noted for.

There was a "real buzz" about the whole area, he added, "so we felt this was the right place for people to come and enjoy what we do".

"We used to go to Merry Hill as kids, and had kind of written it off," Brabant said.

"But when you look at the brands going in, they obviously look at trends and demographics and they can see that obviously this is an area that people want the good stuff to come in, and we're no different".

'Game changing catalyst'

Cat Eccles, MP for Stourbridge, said: "The arrival of Dockworks Waterfront represented a major vote of confidence in the Black Country, as well as a clear sign that hospitality businesses are still at the heart of our communities".

"The social, economic, and cultural benefits of investment in local dining, leisure and the night time economy are well proven," she said.

"We hope this latest addition to Dudley's business ecosystem acts as a game-changing catalyst, attracting more visitors, boosting our vibrant nightlife, and highlighting the West Midlands as an attractive place to live, work, and visit."

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