Signature Mall Bradford is set to open on Saturday, May 16, in Listerhills, bringing 36 retailers and a nine-outlet food gallery to the former Xercise4less gym on Preston Street. The development is being billed as the largest Asian mall in the country when its doors open.

The site has been transformed from a vacant gym into a shopping and dining complex with new features added to the original brickwork outside and ornate chandeliers, palm trees, marble flooring and sculptures inside. The mall is expected to accommodate upwards of 200 diners, with food vendors serving Mexican and Turkish dishes, along with paratha, chaat, burgers, European street food, tea and desserts.

Planning permission to redevelop the building was granted in 2023, and the project is said to have generated 300 jobs. Retail units will include businesses selling beauty products, jewellery, menswear, womenswear and footwear, giving the development a broad mix of offers under one roof. Sukhjit Singh Dua said brands had come from abroad, Birmingham and London, alongside local businesses, describing it as a mix of brands.

The mall arrives at a time when Bradford is trying to strengthen its retail draw, and the company behind the project says the site will bolster the city’s standing as a premier destination for multicultural retail and hospitality. For Listerhills, the change is immediate and visible: what was once a closed gym is now a polished commercial space designed to pull shoppers, diners and workers into one address. Dua said people could see that serious money had gone into the shop units and into the building itself.

The question now is not whether Signature Mall Bradford can make an impression on opening day, but whether it can live up to the scale of the promise attached to it. If the footfall matches the ambition, Bradford will have gained a landmark that is meant to serve both the city’s shoppers and its wider reputation.