Town centre shopping mall renamed

Oldham Council is renaming its town centre shopping mall – but not everyone is convinced by the rebrand.

New names have been chosen for the Spindles Shopping Centre to reflect the major works that have taken place in the last four years.

The retail hub was bought by the council in 2020 for £9.5m when it was on the verge of closing down. A major renovation project saw the upper floors turned into the council’s new department offices, with the former Civic Centre due to be demolished to make way for housing under a huge town centre regeneration scheme. 

And a brand new market, which will become the new home of Tommyfield Market traders in September, alongside a new events space to replace the Queen Elizabeth Hall, have almost been completed. 

The council is shortening the centre’s name to simply ‘The Spindles’, while the new trading area will be known as ‘The Market’ and the new event’s space will be called ‘The Loom’. Once opened, the Loom will hold up to 1,000 people standing, around 700 seated and 500 people for sit-down banquets and have sub-dividers to modify the room to fit the size of event. 

Council boss Arooj Shah said:  “The new names, The Loom, The Market and The Spindles, have been chosen to reflect who we are and where we’re going.  

“This really is exciting times for our beloved borough. We’re creating a town centre that feels like home and one we can all be proud of – where people want to live, work and raise their families.”  

Not everyone is as convinced by the new titles. 

“There is nothing new or imaginative about those names,” Tony Martin commented, while others worried the rebranding would be a ‘waste of money’. 

“Oh yes, renaming Spindles as Spindles, good choice,” Kay Pinder quipped. 
But some also responded positively to the announcement, with several residents stating they were ‘excited to see it open’.