Trinity Leeds

Ok, so Trinity has a couple of small issues. It’s not easy to navigate, the escalator positioning is just plain daft, and it can get pretty chilly in the winter as it isn’t an entirely indoor shopping centre. That aside, it does what it’s supposed to do pretty well.
It’s fairly enormous with well over 100 stores, many of them without other branches in Leeds or even in nearby towns. This shows in the thousands of shoppers that wander through it over the weekends. If you don’t like crowds I’d avoid this place during peak shopping hours and definitely over the run up to Christmas. However, if you can brave the crowds it’s well worth a visit for those who love to shop.
Check out the sculptures too. I love the way Trinity has had art incorporated into it’s design. That horse in the centre is the Equus Altus, a packhorse carrying cloth, textiles being an industry that Leeds was traditionally famous for, and is by the Scottish Sculptor Andy Scott (his Kelpies sculpture in Falkirk are clearly of the same style and were completed at a similar time). The sculpture of the woman is the Briggate Minerva — Minerva being the goddess of weaving and culture. And you thought it was just about buying a new pair of jeans.
My favourite part, though? The Trinity Kitchen. There are a few permanent eateries that you might expect in any city (Carluccio’s, Yo! Sushi, Handmade Burger Co, etc) but the real fun comes from the less common places and the rotating food stands and bars. Don’t be afraid to try something you haven’t seen there before, rather, take your chance before it’s gone. Download the Trinity app too, to earn points and rewards.

I am not the best person to review The Trinity Shopping Centre in Leeds because although I have visited, one thing I struggle with is where does the shopping centre end and finish?, they are so many shops outside in Leeds, with so many nice, busy streets, even the shopping centre comes out in a busy street filled with shops, but due to not being a local who knows about the area, I will be reviewing the Trinity Shopping Centre, inside, not the shops outside.
The Trinity is quite a nice shopping centre, it has a cinema and although it isn’t your traditional Odeon or VUE, The Everyman Cinema has it’s own resturant and I can’t talk too much about it as I did not visit the cinema.
They is a large amount of resturants in this shopping centre, particually in the top floor near the cinema, Burger King, Carluccios, Giraffe, Yo Sushi and Nandos all have branches here! Infact, I have never seen so many Gluten Free places avaliable in one space, If I did visit Leeds again I would have to visit a few of these places as I did eat outside of the shopping centre at, 2 Oxford Place.
The Trinity, is quite nice inside however the shops are not as nice as on the outside, where they is a Starbucks coffee, a waitrose and even another NEXT.
I do feel shopping is something you do when the weather is not great, so it is quite dissapointing that most of the better shops are located outside of the shopping centre, hence you can get wet while going round the shops.
Rating inside the shopping centre, I have to give 2 stars as it has a large amount of good resturants and a cinema but the Leeds high street beats it by far on the shopping front, If you are visiting Leeds, I wouldn’t stop you eating here but instead of going around this shopping centre, I would advise you to go round the uncovered street so don’t plan a trip to Leeds when heavy rain is expected!

I’m not sure how long this centre has been in Leeds but the look of it is like it was just built and opened — spic ‘n span!
All the usual High Street outlets and familiar eateries are here and the layout is great, no people jammed up or getting all in my personal space. Y’all know how I am about that!
Oh yes, the wind blows right through here because it is not enclosed like conventional shopping centres but this place really does look good. I’d come back!

It’s clean modern and bright, has a great range of shops and brilliant food area. What’s not to like?

The Trinity Leeds is the best shopping place in Leeds, after the White Rose. The layout of it is very modern, and has lots of the High Street Brands. However when it’s windy or cold out, it can also become the same as it is outside.
This place is a must for a day out shopping in Leeds!!!

How will they cope when it gets really cold?
The wind was really howling through some of the stores today.

yea i must be getting old, as everytime i enter TLSC it takes me 3 times longer to find an exit. not a fan at all but its handy for all the regular items, so whoop i guess.

So £350 million was spent on this place and they couldn’t even put on some doors! I think its a brilliant addition to Leeds but I don’t understand why it is an outdoor mall? Its freezing!
The best thing about a shopping centre is that you are inside away from the elements. Not in here. It is open so you are pretty much outside and if you walk too close to the barrier upstairs you will get rained on.
I can’t understand the logic behind this as this will definitely be a reason not to go. Who wants to have a meal with the risk if hyperthermia? Okay maybe slightly dramatic but I hate being cold.
Away from the lack of heat the shops are not very well signed and the toilets are impossible to find. On the plus side the security guards are really helpful and know where everything is.
I have to mention the horse that I find highly random balanced high up on a pole. The sculpture is brilliant but with it being suspended in the air all you see when you walk in is a giant horses bum! Very odd.
Not my favourite place, I prefer to shop in the rest of Leeds but invest in some doors or a few heaters and maybe I will have a rethink.

I really am the wrong person to ask when it comes to big sprawling shopping malls. I hate the chaos, I hate the noise and I hate the overkill of big brands. That said, I think Trinity is one of the nicer shopping centres I’ve been to. It’s got some lovely restaurants in addition to all your high street classics. It’s got some beautiful statues dotted about as well that give it a nice touch. All in all, really modern, clean and stylish — a nice edition to the Leeds shopping experience :)

I must review this place as I’m totally not a fan.
Replacing some ‘cornerstone’ shops with a monstrosity of a unwanted Shopping complex which doesn’t even offer shelter from the weather, not a genius idea I’d say.
It’s a glorified wind-​tunnel or green house depending on the great British weather when you go in there.
The place isn’t fully opened and it will be even more gut-​wrenching to see the further holes in our High street that it’s caused when the likes of Primark relocate there.
The money spent here would have been best used developing China-​town or investing in the City sewage system which causes an issue every time it rains rather then yet another Shopping centre.
It’s too shiny (everything I touch in the place gives me electric shocks), there’s no seating for disabled or the infirm and its badly laid out for toilets and stairways.
There was no parking thought out for it either!
Yes it has a lovely curved roof and yes, it brings all the high street shops mostly under one roof but sorry– wasn’t that the purpose of the White Rose which is now sinking!!!
Bad move Leeds sinking such a pot of cash into this place. How long before it ends up a long forgotten structure like the ‘Merrion Centre’?

Not a bad place, thought it was over rated mind, I’d heard big things about this place but it doesn’t seem to have much of anything I heard about. Thought it might be bigger and have more shops in. Its not easy to get to tye next floors and if youre on the groumd floor and need the loo youd better hope youre not too desperate as unless ive missed something the only toilets are on the third floor and considering it’s not easy to get to the other floors then make sure you plan ahead if you need to go!!! There are some good shops although some are quite small but I had hoped there would be more variety. There are supposed to be more opening later on but not sure when. Hopefully not too long though!!! Might be better when there’s even more?! Who knows?!

I’m on the cusp here. I hear what people are saying, but I just haven’t found it to be a bad experience. It is some what of a mad labyrinth; pretty much every time I’ve been in I’ve gotten lost in the weird flow trying to find my way upto mythical floors that at first elude, but I’ve certainly not found it horrendous. In a perfect world I’d love to see more indies but then I haven’t had a chance to properly explore!
So far I’ve enjoyed some of the bigger brands (individual reviews to follow, naturally) and a handful of the eateries and mini spots. There’s clearly much more for me to take a look at — not least the new Everyman — so expect a more detailed report soon! All in all, at the moment I’m glad we’re rid of the city centre void, and hope that further adventuring doesn’t disappoint. Let’s hope it brings a new lease of life to Leeds, and more folks flocking in. A happy side effect should in the very least be that whilst navigating through people get a chance to find some of Leeds’ hidden gems on the periphery… This will be updated soon!

I am really quite pleased with the lovely new shopping centre that has eventually opened in Leeds.
It seems to have taken forever to be completed but am confident it was worth the wait.
In my view the place is nicely designed and has a good mix of all the stores a girl needs and a generous sprinkling of some of the higher end «posh» stores. Quite a few of my favourite restaurants and some snazzy looking bars– must have an evening out there soon)
Leeds is once again booming, exciting and really feels like it has regained it’s sparkle and beating heart back…

I don’t know what the designers and architects were smoking! This is Leeds a rainy northern city, not Dubai! There is no sand and sun! Why is this place so open? It’s great in summer, but for the majority of days where the weather is crap you’re gonna be exposed to the elements! Yeah the rain won’t fall, but it’s gonna be mighty cold!
This place is a living hell to get around. It’s packed full of teenagers loitering all over the place getting in the way, hoards of trendy looking giggling girls with Topshop and Urban Outfitters bags (probably from Harrogate or ‘burbs in North Leeds) spending daddy’s money, screaming babies, dudes in gangs who have come to laydee spot and look the biz for Saturday night… I had to get myself together, run and go into a bar and have a Jack Daniels on the rocks to get over the whole ordeal. Then I thought ‘screw this’ and went home.
Why didn’t they put something like the Oasis in Meadowhall (Sheffield) or something for kids, trendy posers and general obsessive consumer twats to loiter and hang around and pose in? Instead they’re all stuck clogging up your path being annoying. Arndale in Manhester is annoying to get around, but at least that place is really spacey and warm and there are huge open spaces and lots of seats.
This place is SO poorly laid out. Those escalators are ass. Why is there only a few in the whole building? You’re like a sardine rammed on em. Did they realise how many people this place would attract? It’s easy to forget how to get out of the hole it’s so poorly laid out. The toilets are pretty spacey and decent for their purpose though. They’re pretty clean and I hope in future they are well maintained.
I don’t think it will take people who already shop in the independents out of them. I think these people are worrying too much. You won’t be seeing Leeds look like Sheffield anytime soon. To me Trinity is just another soulless big glass container full of chain stores you’ll find anywhere. If you aren’t into chain store shopping you wont like this place. What is worrying is the amount of big retailers who are moving into this from their premises outside. This could have a real bad effect on small independent retailers.
By the way… TGI Fridays, Yo Sushi and Nandos all look like a living hell on weekends. I wouldn’t even bother trying to get a seat if you don’t wanna wait.
Oh I also don’t get the big hype about a Leeds Apple Store. Their customer service is incredibly overrated. You only get good service if you pay for it with Apple.

I can hardly believe that this place is finally open. It must have been what? 12 years since that dingy shopping area with C&A in it closed? Since then Leeds has felt unfinished, and i’m glad that Leeds Trinity has finally opened.
I really do like how the place looks, it’s stylish and open, and I like that the glass roof frames certain buildings the layout of the place brings the different areas of the city centre together a bit. I was surprised that it isn’t completely sealed off from the elements and it was quite cold and drafty in there, but it’s no problem, it’ll keep the rain off the shoppers and it’ll stop the place from feeling too separate from the rest of city centre. I mean, you’d still go on a day trip to Leeds City Centre rather than solely to Leeds Trinity (I’m not sure if any of that paragraph makes sense).
The shops seem good, but there are a lot of shops that have moved from elsewhere in Leeds, and It makes me wonder what will fill the old shops. The restaurants and bars are my favourite part of the new shopping centre. There is a lot of choice and they’re all together in a good location. It will make choosing somewhere to eat when meeting up with friends a bit easier. However, most of them are still too busy at lunch times to get a table without queuing, but i’m sure they’ll settle down with time.
The last time I went, it was still too new and busy. People had to queue for the escalators and some of the shops, and the cinema are still to be opened. I like the place, and I think it will get better once the hype wears off.

Shopping isn’t my cup o tea but thought I’d try it before I went for a few beers, there’s nothing special in here and it’s freezing, there was a gale blowing through, don’t know how much the architect got but I don’t think he was told it was being built in Leeds, not Dubai or Spain, it needs doors and a roof with no gaps, I don’t think it will be a big draw due to parking, if I must go somewhere I’ll go to the white rose and if I want to be cold I’ll go to Freeport.

I’m not a natural shopper. I can barely get through even one hour in the city centre without needing to sprint into the nearest public house and have a calming beer. Perhaps my brain has learned that agoraphobia = fine ale, triggering waves of unnecessary panic in the hopes of hoppy rewards. My degu has learned that squeaking violently at me more often than not results in a tasty dried banana chip, and that’s a woefully moronic small rodent. We are none of us immune to Pavlov it would seem.
So it was Wednesday, I’d had a beer and a brownie at The Reliance with the bearded one and I felt ready to take on the squawking multitidinous horde of shuffling consumptionists in Leeds City Centre, all in the hopes of finding a birthday present for a 30 year old hippy and her 8 year old son. Easypeasylemonsqueezy.
Except. No.
I had barely reached Primark when the prickling irritation of alternatively being held up at a snail’s pace behind the 3 abreast DLA daytrippers and then sprinting through the throngs of cackling warpainted teens got too much. I’d bought nothing. I’d only been on Scope for 3.2 minutes and already I was hiding in a doorway phoning my mate to meet up for pint number two.
I decided the best approach after a lovely sojourn at The Swan would now be to dart into the nearest discount card shop then bolt into Trinity and finish the deed. Ha! I should be so lucky. The card dealy went fine, Trinity on the other hand was a lot like the film The Cube but without any of the excitement or anticipation… although you do need an idiot savant on hand to navigate all three featureless floors. I just couldn’t find any spark of interest in there, all I wanted was a wee and some Lego (in no particular order) but the instant desire to leave the minute I stepped through the doors was overwhelming and I admit I pretty much gave up before I even started. There was just nothing suitably enticing that made me want to be there… and the toilets proved impossible to locate even with my attempts to gain directions from a feckless floor assistant as I became increasingly sweaty eyed. He didn’t know either and the map was incomprehensible… and I say this with a Master’s of Science Degree in Catchment Dynamics. Things you didn’t know about me eh?
So I admit, I gave up. I can’t get excited about seeing the same old chains in featureless white cubicles under a plexiglass dome. So I went to the market, had a glorious tinkle in their excellent bogs then bought everything I needed under one fine Victorian roof. Then I went back to The Reliance. Mission accomplish. Beer obtained. Urge to kill fading… fading…RISING…fading…gone.
Perhaps I am being unfair. Yes Trinity is exactly what it aims to be, a blank sterile space with lots of glass filled with the same shops you get everywhere in every city in every town… supported by the same chain restaurants… I was just so instantly bored it was hard to see the appeal.

Same as all the big centre shopping malls. Parts are open to the elements. The usual suspects in regards to shops. Once the novelty wears off it might be ok to venture into again. There are some new shops in it that haven’t been to Leeds before like the apple store and Armani exchange etc.
Not seen the fancy lights in the ceiling yet.

The Trinity Leeds Shopping Centre is one of the most awaited shopping centres of Leeds and while there has been a lot of criticism about high street stores being closed and the mall knocking out a lot of competition, this place can only do good than bad to the already broken down economy. It will bring people to Leeds and introduce them to a completely urban look to balance the architecturally beautiful buildings that we have in Leeds like the Corn Exchange. It may feel that a lot of other areas in the city centre would seem deserted an example being the St Johns centre but it is just a reminder to everyone that only the best will survive and it would effectively help the customer/​the people in the end. While there are whispers going around stating the money could have been used better, there wouldnt be a better way of turning things around and facing the financial recession we are in. The mall has created a lot of jobs and will invite a lot of brands and vendors which never existed in Leeds before, a good example would be the Apple store and the Everyman cinema. The mall aims at opening a new store every week all the way up to Autumn which is probably the most positive thing we have seen in the last 12 months where we saw a series of brands closing down like Jessops, Jacobs, Comet et al.

I, like many Leeds enthusiasts went and had a peek at the brand new Trinity Leeds shopping centre which opened today to grace the streets of Leeds City Centre.
There’s been a lot of controversy regarding the opening of this centre particularly from a lot of disgruntled Leeds residents who feel it will upset the balance of the big dogs vs the independents. Whilst I was saddened to see several empty shops on Briggate (many of its outlets have moved into the centre) on my walk down there I was impressed by the almighty curved glass roof and inordinate number of staff on hand to help out with your every need.
Other than that, it is what it says on the tin. A shopping centre.
I don’t think it will necessarily take away from the independents. Those who choose to shop in the likes of Topshop and eat in Nandos will continue to do so and those who like something a little more different will look on with intrigue but will still continue to go to their favourite independent hideout. (I’m writing this from Outlaws Yacht Club and not the latest TGI Fridays to hit Trinity Leeds).
What it will hopefully do is up the traffic of people coming into the city centre bringing more income to Leeds in general. This will have a positive impact on everyone.
Worth a visit but don’t expect too many miracles.