The Blackburn brothers bringing new brands to The Mall!

There are very few shopping centres in the country owned by a local family, but The Mall in Blackburn is one of them!

The Adhan Group of Companies bought the shopping centre in 2022 for £40m, adding it to the 10 they already had in their ever-expanding portfolio of commercial buildings nationwide.

The successful business is owned and operated by brothers Salim Patel and Mushtaq Khanjra – both proud Blackburnians.

From modest beginnings in business, the Adhan Group of Companies has grown year on year to become one of the leading commercial owners and lettings companies in the North of England.

Having grown up in Blackburn, the places that are special to us are, of course, those in our hometown, where we remain proud to live today.

Our father came to Blackburn in the 1960s, and he has always told us, ‘please give something back,’ and that’s exactly what we try to do.

While it’s well documented that the fortunes of the high street and shopping centres have fluctuated since the Covid pandemic, The Adhan Group of Companies – whose headquarters are just a stone’s throw from The Mall on Preston New Road – has succeeded in attracting new brands to the town since taking over.

This includes designer store Flannels, popular British book retailer Waterstones, and, more recently, Bonmarché.

The Mall was also the first shopping centre to welcome the new ‘café-style’ Greggs, which has since been replicated at St George’s Shopping Centre in Preston – also owned by the group.

And department store TJ Hughes is set to open in the former Debenhams building this March – a welcome return for a much-loved retailer that previously occupied a store before The Mall’s redevelopment.

Whenever we meet with family and friends, they always ask what the plans are for The Mall,

Of course, our priority is to have it fully occupied – achieving that would be making history.

We’re bucking the national trend by attracting big brands to the town, and we’re working with the council on our wider investment plans – there’s lots to come.

The brothers own a wide portfolio of commercial buildings across the borough, including the Philips building, where their father once worked – another proud link.

Other properties include the VUE Cinema building on the Peel Leisure and Retail Park, as well as the neighbouring former Pizza Hut site, where McDonald’s will soon be opening a new dine-in and delivery restaurant – the first of its kind in the county.

We are very proud of our hometown and are absolutely committed to investing here, we genuinely have a lot of love for this place.

The Adhan Group of Companies headquarters will always be here in Blackburn, no matter how much we continue to expand.

He adds:

A huge amount of work has gone into the success of our business, and that is very much down to my brother, Mushtaq.

Even now, he works 20-hour days – he’s involved in every negotiation and every decision made. He’s remarkable.

For all the latest on The Mall – including the opening of TJ Hughes – be sure to follow The Mall, Blackburn on Facebook and @themall_blackburn on Instagram.