The apocryphal tale is that the Trafford Centre was going to be called the Dumplington Centre, as it’s in Dumplington. It’s a nicer name, if you ask me, and they could have had a family of cute cartoon dumplings as their mascots.
If the owners - a Canadian pension fund - ever decide to rebrand, they can have that, free of charge and with my blessing. But it was named the Trafford Centre instead, and that was that.
I don’t mind it, really. Some people talk about going to the Traff in the same tone they might reserve for a visit to the dentist or having something lanced. Read more of Ben Arnold's food writing covering Greater Manchester... 'I lost faith in humanity and found it again in the city centre takeaway with a famous queue' 'I found some of Manchester's most exciting food in a backstreet café with a wonky roof' The Thai cafe in the shadow of Strangeways where only one thing matters I think it’s fine.
Go at the wrong time, and it’ll be packed and hot and frantic and unpleasant, but that’s sort of your fault, not theirs. When it’s quiet midweek, it’s fine.