# The Galleries

Wigan, United Kingdom · mall · tier: draft · Retrofit Atlas record `m-85ad751e05` · release 2026-10-21

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/united-kingdom/wigan-the-galleries/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-85ad751e05.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-85ad751e05.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-85ad751e05

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | under construction | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Strategy | redevelop | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| New use | retail, hotel, housing, civic, entertainment | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| What is there now | Multi-media Centre, 483 homes, 144-bedroom hotel, Wigan Market hall | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Closed | 2022 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2023 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| GLA (sq ft) | 440000 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Stores at peak | 144 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Original developer | Wigan Council | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Redeveloper | Wigan Council | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Zoning change | mixed-use | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Entitlement year | 2014 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |

## Quoted support

- **year_closed**: “closed down in 2022” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galleries_(Wigan)
- **gla_sqft**: “retail space within the complex totalled approximately 440,000 square feet” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galleries_(Wigan)
- **original_developer**: “owned by Wigan Council” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galleries_(Wigan)
- **after_notes**: “Multi-media Centre, with a multiplex cinema, bowling alley and an indoor climbing wall. This is in addition to the construction of 483 homes, a 144-bedroom hotel and a new Wigan Market hall as part of a multi-phase project.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galleries_(Wigan)
- **status**: “redevelopment...expected to cost £135 million” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galleries_(Wigan)
- **strategy**: “redeveloped = demolished and rebuilt as streets/housing/mixed use” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galleries_(Wigan)
- **zoning_change**: “outline planning approval...” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galleries_(Wigan)
- **gla_sqft_before**: “The retail space within the complex totalled approximately 440,000 square feet (41,000 m2).” — extraction-deep:nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

## Anchors

Marketgate Shopping Centre, The Makinson Arcade

## Parties

- Wigan Council — owner (from text) (1972–1996)
- Prime Commercial Properties — owner (from text) (2002–2006)
- Propinvest Limited — owner (from text) (2006–2015)
- Colony Capital — owner (from text) (2015–2018)

## Timeline

- 1972: Marketgate built
- 1974: Marketgate opened
- 1990: Galleries completed
- 1991: Galleries opened
- 1996: Sold to private sector
- 2002: Jointly acquired
- 2006: Sold to Propinvest
- 2015: Colony Capital purchase
- 2018: Council purchase
- 2022: Closure and demolition

## Deals and debt

- 2018 sale: 8000000.0 Wigan Council ← Colony Capital lender Manchester Airport https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galleries_(Wigan)
- 2015 sale:  Colony Capital ← Propinvest Limited  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galleries_(Wigan)
- 2006 sale:  Propinvest Limited ← Prime Commercial Properties  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galleries_(Wigan)
- 1996 sale: 90000000.0 private sector ← Wigan Council  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galleries_(Wigan)

## Background (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened)

The Galleries was a shopping complex in the town centre of Wigan, Greater Manchester, owned by Wigan Council. It consisted of three sections: The Galleries Shopping Centre, Marketgate Shopping Centre and The Makinson Arcade. The eight-acre complex featured a combination of enclosed malls, walkways and open squares and accounted for almost a quarter of the town centre's footprint. The retail space within the complex totalled approximately 440,000 square feet (41,000 m2).

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galleries_(Wigan)

## Sources

- Quoted support for year_closed — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galleries_(Wigan)

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "The Galleries, Wigan, United Kingdom." Record m-85ad751e05, release 2026-10-21, tier draft. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/united-kingdom/wigan-the-galleries/ (accessed 2026-10-21).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_wiganthegalleries,
  title = {The Galleries, Wigan, United Kingdom},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/united-kingdom/wigan-the-galleries/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-85ad751e05, release 2026-10-21, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-21}
}
```

Licence: research use only; terms undecided with the authors (https://retrofitatlas.org/licence/). Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0. Tiers: curated = from the authors' public map, not reviewed by them; draft = imported or model-extracted, unreviewed.