Merry Hill Shopping Centre had agreed to become tenants of a new department store in the final phase of the shopping complex. It opened on 23 October 1990, replacing the recently closed stores in nearby towns West Bromwich and Dudley; the retailer had hoped that its Merry Hill store could co-exist with the West Bromwich and Dudley stores, but the onset of the recession and a general downturn in trade in these towns led to the closure of both stores on 25 August 1990. On 24 December 1990, the shopping centre was sold to Mountleigh. Development of the steelworks site did not commence until
Frenchgate Shopping Centre injuring one of the building workers from the site. The extension and transport interchange opened to the public on 8 June 2006. Frenchgate Shopping Centre The Frenchgate Shopping Centre (Formerly Arndale Centre & Whitehouse Centre) is a large shopping centre located in the town centre of Doncaster, South Yorkshire. It is named after the street of the same name that formed one of the old gates of medieval Doncaster. The centre has been the heart of the town for over 40 years and was originally called the Arndale Centre because it was built, owned and managed by the Arndale Group.