Wolverhampton's Mander Centre 'will rise again' says new manager
"It breaks my heart when I hear people say they don't shop in Wolverhampton town centre anymore because there's no reason to.
"It's got everything you could need, except for a few missing brands, and I believe there's a real appetite by the new owners to get them."
This is the view of the Mander Centre's new manager Robert Gough who believes he can help turn around Wolverhampton's 'undeserved' reputation as one of the UK's grimmest cities.
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He describes the centre, built in 1968 and extensively refurbished in 1987 and 2003, as 'of an era' but is less reticent about how he sees its future after the current £35 million revamp, started last month, is completed in autumn next year.
It's going to be shiny bright and modern, he says, with a rich mix of brand names and independents.
"It's had investment before but nothing of this significance and scale, and it's big by comparison with anywhere else in the UK. It will be state of the art. People can't really visualise what £35 million will buy – it's a lot, it will make a huge difference to the Mander Centre."
Early 1960s Sir Charles Mander champions a scheme to redevelop his family business former works into a shopping centre.
January 1964 The project receives outline planning approval.
March 1968 The James A Roberts designed Mander Centre opens on a four and a half acre plot. It has space for 134 shops and an office block. The Barbara Hepworth sculpture Rock Form is given pride of place at the centre.
1969 The Civic Trust gives the centre an award. Its citation says the centre has: real magic and real urban quality and is made of real materials.
May 1974 The Central Arcade is destroyed by a severe fire which reduced it to rubble. It was subsequently demolished and the area was later rebuilt as the centres entrance.
1976 Work to restore the area damaged during the blaze is completed.
1987 The centre is refurbished, becoming the first shopping centre centre in the UK to be fitted with a barrel-vaulted polycarbonate sliding roof, providing more comfortable shopping in poor weather.
February 1994 Mander sells the shopping centre to the Prudential insurance company for £82m.
2003 Another multi-million pound refurb sees the centre become completely enclosed for the first time. The giant New Look store opens.
June 2014 Rock Form is moved from the Mander Centre, sparking fears that it could be sold off.
December 2014 Benson Elliot buy the centre for £59 million and announced plans for a 90,000sq ft Debenhams store at the site.
September 2015 Rock Form finally reappears in Wolverhampton at the citys art gallery.
November 2015 St Johns Arcade closes as enabling works start.
January 2016 Escalators relocated from Central Arcade to the south end of Mander Square.
March 2016 New escalators to open. Demolition work to start on the former TJ Hughes shop.
April 2016 - Opening of new lifts in Farmers Fold and removal of old lifts in Mander Square.
August 2016 Completion of mall refurbishment in Mander Square, The Gallery and Central Arcade.
Autumn 2016 Planned opening of the first new fashion unit in Mander Square.
Spring 2017 Work due to start on the interior of the Debenhams store.
Autumn 2017 Debenhams due to open.
In an Express & Star poll asking what brands readers wanted to see in a re-born Mander Centre, John Lewis came out on top with 37 per cent of the vote, followed by H&M (30 per cent), Burger King (15 per cent), Lush(5 per cent), Hotel Chocolat (four per cent), Waitrose(four per cent), with Warehouse, Accessorise and Office all polling one per cent.
It remains to be seen how successful the new owners Benson Elliot will be in achieving their stated aim of creating a precinct with a more upmarket feel.
The biggest competition for the centre, and for other cities and towns around the West Midlands, has been the huge growth over the last 30 years of out-of-town shopping centres – from the first and still the biggest, Merry Hill, to one of the latest and nearest, Bentley Bridge – and, more recently, the rise of internet shopping.
But he says the interest in online shopping has plateaued, and people have still preferred to pick up their items in store rather than receive them through the post.
And he feels a vibrant city centre, with all the additional attractions that come with it, can stand its ground against any purpose-built retail park.
"It wouldn't be about Merry Hill versus Wolverhampton. I worked at Merry Hill in 2004 and I found it dark and all closed in, and it had hardly any rest areas for a centre of that size. They wouldn't build it that way now. Bentley Bridge doesn't cater for everyone – it doesn't have a mix of premium, core and value retailers covering both fashion homewares and clothes.
"We've learnt lessons from Bentley Bridge and Merry Hill. We've learned the pitfalls and we can do a better job."
He believes the Mander Centre holds a trump card in NOT being an out-of-town retail park, instead being part of an attractive city with so much else going on.
"I want to make Wolverhampton a destination, not only a great place to shop," he says.
"I want to help influence key committees and put forward customers' points of view. There are too many people sitting on the M6 and going straight on to Birmingham.
"We've missed out to Birmingham in the past but with more shops, bringing more jobs, more investment, more infrastructure, hopefully Wolverhampton will soon be in the top 10 of best places to live and work.
"Coming to shop in Wolverhampton has got to be a day out and not a come-and-grab thing. For that to happen, we've got to upskill. I can talk retail to managers because I've done it. I understand what it's like to have a tough day. We have to work together, share feedback, maybe mystery-shop each other.
"We're working with the college and university to bring in students, and maybe create apprenticeships. Wolverhampton shops don't do a great job of their window displays, so we need to work on visual execution.
"Businesses here are prepared to work collectively. I've met some really great people who just want to make it work.
"Now we're getting Debenham's we're starting to see area managers visiting. There's a feeling that other stores are upping their game."
Born in Bath, Mr Gough 'fell in love with retail' after taking a part-time job at Woolworths and quickly got into management training. At the tender age of 18, he was sent as assistant manager to a store in South Wales.
In 2001, after three years in various stores in Wales and the West Country, he was head-hunted by Debenhams as a sales manager, becoming store manager of the Stratford-upon-Avon shop in 2005, and progressively moving to bigger stores. His 14 years with Debenhams will be invaluable in his new role.
He was the company's Store Manager of The Year in 2010 and says his proudest moment was opening the the Bath store 'in the city where I was born, seeing my mum and dad and nieces and nephews in the crowd.'
Now 38, he has taken on a much wider brief but is undoubtedly up for the challenge.
Full of energy, ideas and belief, he has the drive and experience for the job but is also approachable, chatty and engaging.
He seems to like us too.
"What I love about Wolverhampton compared to other major centres is that people are so friendly. I was at the noodle bar in the centre and people were saying 'Who are you, we've not seen you before?' And I've been called Bab.
"That's what makes Wolverhampton different. It's a very engaging place, and I want to make a mark here that's lasting.
"I want to a part of giving the city of Wolverhampton the retail it deserves."
