Driving along the streets of Bradford, a series of towering palm trees is the last thing I’d expect to see in the suburbs of this West Yorkshire city. Yet it’s exactly what greets me when I arrive at my destination.
I’m here to visit the Signature Mall, self-described as the UK’s largest South Asian mall. It opened on May 16 and has already caught national attention, making headlines thanks to its Dubai-inspired interiors and luxury aesthetic, and not to mention its unique position as the only one of its kind in the country.
From the outside, the Signature Mall certainly looks impressive with bright, cream walls and ornate brown latticework covering the windows. It feels contemporary and truly does look like somewhere that wouldn’t be out of place in the Middle East – and that’s the image that it’s aiming for.
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Ahead of its opening the mall launched an impressive social media campaign, giving shoppers sneak previews of what to expect, including one video which said: “Welcome to Dubai”, with the caption: “Dubai-style luxury shopping arrives in the UK”. One video highlighted the malls’ design influences spanning destinations across North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, including a fountain from Morocco, granite from India and light fittings from the Middle East.
The hype certainly worked. During its opening weekend it welcomed hundreds of visitors from as far away as Glasgow, London, Cambridge and Newcastle.
This was then followed by an Eid festival with a huge marquee installed outside, as the mall rode the wave of the success of its opening weekend. As the Signature Mall is about to enter its second month of opening, I met with the mall’s general manager Aamir Sohail to find out more about it and what the mall has in store for the future.
He greeted me in the entrance to the mall, which itself doesn’t feel like a shopping mall at all. It’s more like the lobby of a luxury hotel with ornate wooden archways, tall ceilings, colourful Moroccan-style tiles covering the bottom half of the walls. On one wall there’s a fountain, and standing next to it a silver, not-quite-life sized camel, which I’m told sometimes goes for a walkabout – I imagine to star in the latest Instagram post.
Entering the building does give you a feeling of calm, which was much-needed for me given it took me three hours to drive to the mall thanks to horrific traffic on the M62. Depending on where you are setting off from in Greater Manchester, the drive can take as little as 45 minutes in good conditions., if you are not as unlucky as I was.
It’s not until you turn a corner from the entrance that you first see some of the shops, of which there are 27, with new openings still planned in the coming weeks. The mall itself is laid out in a quadrant with retailers lining the four avenues.
“We saw a gap in the market for something of this calibre all under one roof. We offer womenswear, menswear, jewellery, footwear and fragrance, along with the dining concept, the aim was to bring something a bit different,” Mr Sohail told me as he showed me the various shops. Some of the retailers are ‘multi-designer stores’, stocking well-known South Asian brands, while others are standalone shops, including Shiffonz, which sells a range of outfits from every day to occasion wear.
I’m shown the mall’s only menswear shop, U&A Bespoke Menswear, which also operates a site in Rochdale. It features racks of waist coats in vicarious shades of blue, grey, brown and cream, a made-to-measure groom section and even a children’s section with tiny jackets.
The majority of the shops cater for womenswear. In the mall’s only footwear shop, rows of sparkly shoes and handbags glisten under the lights. These may be covered in diamantes, but if you’re after something truly sparkly the Signature Mall has got you covered.
In Elysium shoppers can choose from both mined and lab-grown diamonds, while Amal Jewellers offers gold jewellery. Both of these shops offer a luxurious experience with a spacious layout and jewellery showcased on delicate stands. For those with a smaller budget, Qazi Jewels specialises in imitation jewellery.
Walking around, one thing that struck me about the mall was the attention to detail and the premium touches; for example, all the shop signs follow the same dark brown design which gives the space a sense of flow, rather than different logos jumping out at you.
The Dubai-marketing does have to be taken with a pinch of salt; I would say the design features are a subtle nod to the Middle East rather than an overload. I’m told the design of the mall is based off a traditional Dubai souk, and that does feel evident with the dark ceilings and wooden archways.
Ideas for the mall were first floated four years ago so it’s been a long process, but Mr Sohail explained to me that the owners – Simrans, a wholesale firm – wanted to ensure that the finished product was a premium one. “The owners wanted to offer a quality product, which takes time. And we have delivered that.
“Our aim is to be at the top of the list when people think of Bradford – we want people to think ‘they have to come to the Signature Mall’. We want to be a destination for people from across the UK, and even Europe.”
Part of the mall’s vision was creating a welcoming space for brands during a challenging economic climate. “We wanted to provide something different for retailers as well, a community where they could all work together,” Mr Sohail said. “The climate is tough right now but being under one roof means they are not burdened with those extra costs. We’ve also boosted employment in the area.”
There are few shops which haven’t already opened yet, so the mall is still not quite fully finished. A major brand the mall is looking forward to welcoming is Agha Noor, due to open on July 1. During my visit work was underway in the upstairs section of Batik, where the store plans to open a bridal studio.
A key feature of the mall is the food court, which I’m told is referred to as a food gallery to distance itself from the image of cheap plastic tables and chairs you may find in other shopping centres. It certainly does feel a world away from them.
The dining area is bright and airy, with large windows, skylights and a cream-and-gold colour palette. On one side there are 10 food outlets which span a range of cuisines including traditional South Asian food such as chaat and paratha, along with Mexican, Turkish and American style foods.
The seats are upholstered in velvet or leather, adding to the up market feel, and in the centre of the food court is a faux cherry blossom tree. It’s something which if overdone could verge on the tacky side, yet here it gets the balance just right and feels like a space you would want to linger over your food, rather than rush off once you’ve eaten.
Diners can go up to each stall and place their order, receiving a small buzzer which tells them when their food is ready. During my visit I sampled a selection of what they have to offer, including a chicken and cheese paratha, a pineapple and coconut lassi and a lamb curry, served with a huge naan bread. Even for a Tuesday the dining area was busy, with a wide range of shoppers from families to groups of women having a catch up.
Mr Sohail told me that the food gallery is a huge part of what sets the Signature Mall apart from other shopping destinations, and why it deserves the title of being the ‘biggest’. “There’s no other place which has this kind of variety of South Asian brands, along with a food gallery. Our opening times are what sets us apart as well. Nowhere else in the Yorkshire area offers the South Asian market late night shopping like this, we’re open until 10pm, while the food court is open until 11pm on weekends. It means those who are working during the week can come and enjoy the mall after work.”
The food court is an area the team hope will bring in customers from other communities, as food is often the gateway into other cultures. “We’re not limited just to the Asian community, we welcome all communities from around the UK who want to come and visit with their families, and enjoy the food side as well as the retail aspects.”
So what does the future hold for the Signature Mall? Given its goal of becoming a day-out destination for visitors from across the UK, it plans on opening up a children’s play area soon. At the moment the only appealing aspect for children is a pick’n’mix stand, which was located next to a Dubai chocolate stall.
“Our future plans include bringing even more brands and building a kids play area so that people can come here for a family day out. Going forward, we want to maintain the high standards we’ve set out so far and ensure people want to visit again and again.”