Abandoned shopping malls across the world
Derelict malls left to rot
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A thriving shopping mall is a hive of activity that entices businesses and customers alike, but countless spaces across the world are being abandoned, creating desolate places even in some of the most affluent cities. Some have been left to rot after falling out of favour, while others have felt the impact of financial crises, or even war. From a derelict building housing refugees to a long-forgotten underground market, click or scroll through the shopping malls that time, and money, forgot.
Zhoekvara shopping centre, Gagra, Abkhazia, Georgia
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Zhoekvara shopping centre, Gagra, Abkhazia, Georgia
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Acropolis shopping centre, Mexico City, Mexico
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The decaying remains of the Acropolis outdoor shopping mall stand in Ciudad Satélite, one of the oldest suburban developments of Mexico City. Built in the 1980s, the mall's popularity declined in the 1990s.
Acropolis shopping centre, Mexico City, Mexico
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Central Market, Hong Kong
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Central Market, Hong Kong
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Hawthorne Plaza Mall, Los Angeles, USA
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Hawthorne Plaza Mall in Los Angeles County was a popular shopping destination when it opened in 1977, but two decades later the 40-acre retail site was shut. Plans to redevelop the centre as part of a $500 million (£398m) overhaul have yet to come to fruition.
Hawthorne Plaza Mall, Los Angeles, USA
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In the meantime, it has played an apocalyptic backdrop in music videos for singers Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, as well as for films including Minority Report and Gone Girl. Pictured are the remnants of a former Thom McAn store.
New World shopping mall, Bangkok
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New World shopping mall, Bangkok
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The fish quickly multiplied and soon filled the makeshift pond on the 5,000-square-foot (465-square-metre) ground floor of the abandoned mall. Tourist Jesse Rockwell came across the derelict mall while backpacking around Thailand, and told the Daily Mail that splashing could be heard from the building, despite it being in a busy area of the city. Thousands of tilapia, carp and catfish were eventually relocated in 2015, but the derelict and roofless mall is still home to a variety of plant life and the odd fish. It has also played host to a number of art exhibitions.
Manchester underground market, Manchester, England
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Manchester's underground market opened in 1972 and was the place to go for everything from shoes to perfume for nearly 20 years. It was the place to hang out on Saturdays with nearly 100 stalls including Stolen From Ivor – the first place in the north of England to stock Levi's jeans. However, the market was shut down in the late 1980s as the nearby Arndale shopping centre proved to be increasingly more popular.
Manchester underground market, Manchester, England
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Poolway Shopping Centre, Birmingham, England
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Poolway Shopping Centre, Birmingham, England
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Al-Waha Commercial Centre, Lebanon
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Al-Waha Commercial Centre, Lebanon
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Rolling Acres Mall, Ohio, USA
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Once boasting 140 stores, images of the decaying Rolling Acres Mall in Ohio became symbolic of the US retail apocalypse. Having opened to great fanfare in 1975, it slowly lost customers and also became known for criminal activity, with the body of an apparent murder victim found behind the mall in 2011.
Rolling Acres Mall, Ohio, USA
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The last tenant left in 2013 and demolition began three years later. Online retail giant Amazon has since snapped up the site and built a warehouse, known as a ‘fulfilment centre’, where the mall used to sit. The company celebrated its first day of operations on 1 November last year and has taken on hundreds of members of staff at the site. These photos were captured by photographer Seph Lawless.
Randall Park Mall, Ohio, USA
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Randall Park Mall, Ohio, USA
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In 2002, tragedy struck when a Dillard’s security guard killed a shoplifter in a tussle. Soon afterwards the department store closed its doors, citing poor sales, but many reports speculated it was the $2.8 million (£2.1m) court case they endured with the deceased’s parents. Multiple buyers planned on buying Randall Park with hopes of restoring it to its former glory, but to no avail. Randall Park Mall shut its doors in 2009. Amazon went on to breathe life back into this abandoned site too, and the company started fulfilment centre operations on the plot in 2018.
You can see more of photographer Seph Lawless's abandoned places photography and buy his books at sephlawless.com.
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