I seem to have mentioned my local “out-of-town” (it’s not really) shopping centre, Westwood Cross, more in these posts than I do in Closed for Good? The “Retail Apocalypse” in Britain since 2005. This is because these photos are all local.
One trend I consider in the book is of chain retailers moving from local high streets into bigger developments, leaving the towns derelict. When Westwood Cross opened, some retailers, like Argos, retained their high street presences, while others were quick to jump. The former M&S in Margate has hosted a succession of retailers who have failed themselves and other enterprises like cheap art galleries, and finally, two decades on, seems to have given up.
