[3] In May 1974 the Central Arcade was destroyed by a severe fire that reduced it to rubble, which was declared unsafe and was subsequently demolished.
It was an opportunity to complete the enclosure of the centre to make it fully climate controlled.
In the spring of 2014 this led to heated national controversy when they proceeded to remove a landmark bronze sculpture, Rock Form (Porthcurno),[5] by Barbara Hepworth, specially commissioned for the site and donated by the Mander family and shareholders in 1968.
The reconfiguration was also to include new escalators and lifts, the removal of the Lower Central Arcade and the relocation of the toilets.
On 18 November 2016 H&M was the first major store to open as part of the shopping centre's multimillion-pound redevelopment.
In July 2018, M J Mapp were appointed by Benson Elliot to take on the daily management of the Mander Centre.
[17] On 11 January 2020, the 93,000 sq ft Debenhams store, which had opened to much fanfare in 2017, closed in the Mander Centre.
[19][20][21] In October 2020, it was announced that the owner of the Mander Centre, Benson Elliot Capital Management was acquired by PineBridge Investments.
It's set to feature 12 Bowling Lanes, Crazy Club Soft Play area, interactive darts, a bar and diner and a Sega Prize Zone Arcade and is set to open in early 2025 on a fifteen year lease.