The Schofield Centre
The new Schofields Centre opened with many other retailers renting retail units. These included the thriving chain HMV and department store Marks & Spencer. The Marks & Spencer later closed this outlet due to the expansion of their premises on nearby Briggate, and HMV moved into the vacant M&S unit in around 1996.
The former Schofields premises which had become the Schofields Centre subsequently became known as The Headrow Centre. This centre had been occupied by the Lillywhites sportswear retailer between 1996 and 2001; and was later occupied by several chain stores including Sports Direct, New Look and HMV. The Headrow Centre management had let most of the tenancy agreements run out in order to redevelop the premises in the hope of attracting more businesses.
The decision to let tenancy agreements expire, whilst only giving the shops 28 days notice of the closure in most cases, had caused negative media comments to be directed towards the centre. Many of the stores that have been in the centre for up to 15 years have been forced to close down, and the staff are being given very little time to find new jobs. It was also seen as the centre was 'killing' off the small businesses in order to attract more chain stores.
The renovations were estimated to take 18 months to complete, and 10 stores remained open while the work was going on. The new centre has been finished in late 2009 and traded as The Core due to its place in the core of the city centre.[9] The Core was now home to new stores including a combined Bank and JD Sports store, a Cotswold store and a USC sports shop. A new food court seating 500 people was intended to be located above New Look. The design features include the extensive use of glass. The developer, the Propinvest Group, has described the Leeds development as its flagship centre.[9]
The food court in the mall; which opened in 2015, had restaurants come and go over the years, including Burger King, Roosters, El Mexicana, Pizzaway, Yoghies and Subway. However, between July 2011 and early 2025, many interior retail units within The Core remained vacant and the proposed food court had been occupied by a gymnasium which closed before demolition started.[10][11]
As of March 2024, planning permission has been granted for the demolition of The Core; and its redevelopment as three separate blocks of ground floor retail with six floors of student accommodation above and new roads or pedestrian areas will be created between the blocks. Before its demolition, OneBeyond opened in the former HMV unit. During demolition, Footasylum closed its doors permanently.
