A North-East shopping centre is defying the retail gloom by spending £1m on new lighting.  

All internal ceilings at Middleton Grange Shopping in Hartlepool will be replaced over the coming months to make the mall lighter, brighter and more energy efficient.

Middleton Grange manager, Mark Rycraft, said: “We are replacing all of the internal ceilings across the Centre. They were the existing ‘egg crate’ ceilings which were very fashionable in their day but that has passed and they will be replaced with a far smarter and modern ceiling along with an energy-efficient lighting scheme.

“Middleton Grange is continually looking at ways of becoming more energy efficient and the new lighting installations will allow the Centre to reduce its carbon footprint, which will save on our electricity bills and create a far brighter environment for shoppers, particularly in the darker winter months.”

The replacement ceilings are part of an on-going refurbishment at the centre by landlord PPG which has invested millions of pounds to improve the appearance of Middleton Grange in recent years, including upgrading the external façade and redecoration schemes.

The new ceiling and lighting scheme will be installed at night to minimise disruption to shoppers and retailers and the work will be completed in June.