A Mall For All

Behind the scenes at Meadowhall after it’s mammoth £60million revamp

- Jo Haywood

LARGE shopping centres are often painted as bleak, faceless retail machines, where the only sound is the bleep and rattle of tills and smiles are not on special offer. But Sheffield’s Meadowhall – one of the largest of the large centres – prides itself on being different.

Staff in the 290 or so shops and 50 eateries tend to stay put, so they get to know each other and their customers (perhaps not all 25 million of them, but a good smattering), building relationships and adding to what is an unmistakably warm family atmosphere.

Pop into Burton on the High Street Mall and you’ll probably bump into manager Ken Bird, who’s been there for more than 25 years – pretty much from the day the centre opened in September 1990. It’s the same for Michele Farrell at The Body Shop and Jane Depledge at M&S, who’ve both hit their silver anniversary at the mall, and the dozens of other people for whom Meadowhall has become something of a second home (complete with a second family).

‘After 25 years, it’s more than a job to me,’ said Andrew Brown, the centre’s payroll and personnel coordinator. ‘I’ve met some good people and I’m working with colleagues who I now class as very good friends. Meadowhall has always been about the people and I love that.’

Security manager Mick Osborne couldn’t agree more. He’s been there from the very first day, and it’s where he met his wife, Dawn, and proposed to her at the staff Christmas party.

‘Meadowhall has played such a big part in my life,’ he said, with admirable understatement. ‘It has a big family culture, with varied departments and good people who all work together to achieve the same goal. Coming to work here every day is a real pleasure.’