Shopping Centres Embrace Sports and Wellness Experiences to Boost Footfall Amid Retail Decline
Facing rising vacancy rates and declining footfall due to the growth of online shopping, UK shopping centres are increasingly integrating sports and health experiences such as zip wires, darts, rock climbing, and wild swimming to attract customers.
Operators like Toca Social, Five Iron, Zip World, and Go Ape are leading this trend as centres repurpose retail spaces to meet changing consumer priorities, especially among Gen Z and millennials who favor wellness and self-improvement activities including yoga and immersive play.
Noteworthy redevelopments include Wimbledon Quarter's Centre Court, which now houses the Third Space gym and The Golf Groove, and Cardiff's Queens Arcade, transformed into a leisure mall featuring padel courts and immersive exhibitions.
Despite these efforts, challenges remain: about 20% of former Debenhams sites are still vacant more than four years after the retailer's exit, and several House of Fraser stores also remain empty. Overall, footfall at shopping centres fell by 0.9% in October 2025, with only three of the last twelve months showing positive growth.
Industry analyses predict that approximately 60 of the UK’s 500 larger shopping centres might face complete demolition, with around 200 potentially partially demolished. This outlook is influencing landlords to adopt turnover-based rents to better share financial risk with tenants.
Leisure-led approaches appear promising. Westfield owners report a 39% growth in leisure offerings since 2022, with new launches planned such as Activate, an 8,000 sq ft experience venue, and the Wake the Tiger art installation in London. Gravity's venue at Southside, Wandsworth offers go-karting, mini golf, and darts, while Third Space operates clubs in former department store locations. Some sites have introduced climbing facilities like the Parthian climbing wall by repurposing retail floors.
This shift towards experiential and wellness-focused amenities represents an evolving strategy for shopping centres aiming to transform and remain relevant in a digital shopping era.
