Brent Cross Shopping Centre is a landmark in north west London.
Brent Cross was the Dubai-style purchasing centre of its time, a Westfield earlier than Westfield even existed (within the UK not less than).
It’s been round for greater than 40 years, offered one of many nation’s first american fashion indoor purchasing centres and has simply been good vibes for the reason that begin. Brent Cross could have had some new competitors with not only one, however two Westfields opening within the capital over the previous 13 years.
However, general it hosted (and nonetheless hosts) a few of London’s most wanted shops in London, however after 40 plus years within the sport there have been some shops which have fallen by the wayside we simply wish had been nonetheless open.
1. HMV
A throwback of Brent Cross in 2006
(Image: Billy Hicks)
In want of a final minute DVD Christmas current? Christmas Eve vacation album, maybe? You’d discover all of that and extra at HMV. Without a doubt, it was probably the greatest shops in the complete purchasing centre.
Other than its numerous music CDs, HMV was additionally fairly good for locating outdated Playstation, Xbox and PC video games.
Closing in 2011, it is nonetheless a tremendously missed Brent Cross entity, even with the ever rising success of Amazon.
The pleasure of shopping by means of the R&B CDs is a matchless purchasing pleasure.
2. The Children’s Wooden Play Area
Not fairly a store, however the picket play space was a contact of planning genius from Brent Cross’ house owners, Hammerson and Standard Life Aberdeen.
Complete with a horse, tortoise and big caterpillar, the restricted play space was a part of the unique 1976 Brent Cross Shopping Centre.
Today it now not exists, changed by a seating space and a Lola’s Cupcakes.
Baked items are nice however think about the childhood nostalgia if the picket play space was introduced back for a day.
3. JJB Sports
A former JJB retailer taken over by Sports Direct
JJB Sports was a Brent Cross favorite we’d all like to see once more. It was Sports Direct’s largest rival within the funds sportswear area so though Brent Cross consumers had been gutted to see it shut, I’m certain Sports Direct did not thoughts an excessive amount of.
I bear in mind attending JJB Sports’ closing down sale in 2011. It was like an excellent sadder leaving drinks with no alcohol and sports activities socks all over the ground.
4. Toys R Us
To be nine-years-old strutting down these Toys R Us aisles once more
(Image: Steve Bowbrick)
The closing of Toys R Us was in all probability most painful.
The Mecca of kids’s toys closing down may as effectively be the top of civilisation for anybody underneath ten years outdated.
Toys R Us wasn’t really within the bodily Brent Cross Shopping Centre, it was in a retail park throughout the street that many patrons nonetheless rely as Brent Cross.
I actually did, as a result of going by means of the North Circular and seeing that rainbow signal shining within the distance sparked pleasure unmatched in my childhood.
To add insult to harm, after closing in 2017, a big dumping web site fashioned spontaneously outdoors of the deserted store. Certainly the nail within the coffin that it will not be coming back, however we wish it did, even for a day.
5. Mothercare
Cineworld closed its doorways in 2016 after 15 years
(Image: Geograph)
Mothercare is the newest of the closures, solely occurring in 2019 so it is nonetheless fairly recent.
It was an irreplaceable a part of the Brent Cross furnishings. Ground ground, first retailer on the left on the entrance from the bus storage, was a first-rate location.
Entering Brent Cross and not seeing Mothercare will likely be arduous to recover from – #BringBackMothercare.
There are a couple of honourable mentions of Brent Cross shops which have closed however we’re not wishing back. Cineworld Staples Corner was an amazing cinema, nonetheless it was changed by a Flip Out in 2016 which is simply superb so it might be finest to maintain issues as they’re.
The Chiquito which shared the Staples Corner retail park with Cineworld has additionally been closed however was very pleasurable throughout its time. Many birthday events and put up cinema meals have been loved in that institution.
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