Trafford Centre at 25: eight memorable photos from its opening day in 1998

It’s become a huge draw for fans of retail therapy across the north of England since its first opening its doors in the 1990s.

Manchester’s Trafford Centre turns 25 in September this year and these days, it is home to hundreds of shops and restaurants, from Zara to Selfridges and John Lewis, and even has its own seasonal attractions such as a fairground and film screenings, making it a big draw for visitors from Greater Manchester and beyond.

Back in 1998, the excitement around the new shopping centre opening was huge, with big queues of eager folk waiting outside the front doors for it to open that first morning in September, and the car park packed out almost to capacity. Our photographer Iain Lynn was there to capture the action, with lots of excited folk snapping up bargains and checking out the new food hall for a welcome cuppa.

Here, we take a fun look back at the opening day in a series of his colourful pictures from the time - have a look and see how it has changed today.

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