The closure of the Arndale would leave a "big hole" in Morecambe if a buyer can't be found, says a champion of the town.
John O'Neill, manager of Morecambe BID, spoke to Beyond Radio after it was revealed that the Arndale, Morecambe Bay was up for sale for £5m, in its 50th anniversary year.
Mr O'Neill said he hoped a buyer would come forward with "imagination and vision" to "reimagine" the shopping centre.
But he said the rise of online shopping and deliveries has put a lot of pressure on the Arndale.
LISTEN now to John O'Neill talking about the Arndale being put up for sale:
Mr O'Neill said: "There are a lot of things you could do with it.
"It really does need reimagining, whether you do a mix of leisure, retail, hospitality, even some offices there.
"It is a big part of Morecambe but we have seen other parts of Morecambe come and go during the years.
"But it would leave a big hole if they decided to close up. Hopefully they will get a buyer, and a buyer with imagination."
Mr O'Neill (pictured) said shopping centres were struggling, and not just in the UK.
"Even before the pandemic, in the US they were predicting a 20 per cent closure of shopping centres," he said.
"This is due to the rise of online shopping and during lockdown a lot of the local companies started home deliveries which has put a lot of pressure on the Arndale where there are national shops.
"It's not unique to Morecambe, it's across the country.
"A lot of shopping centres may need to take a deep hard look at themselves to see what their offers are.
"The rates system is probably not favourable and has been the subject of constant speculation.
"Things like that are placing a lot of pressure on shopping sectors that maybe haven't caught up with the times."
New River REIT, who own shopping centres all over the UK, bought the Arndale in 2014 in a deal worth £14m.
Shops inside the Arndale include Greggs bakery, Iceland, Shoe Zone, Bon Marche, Poundland and Burger King.
New River REIT declined to comment on the reasons for putting the centre, which opened in 1972, up for sale.
They are advertising the centre as a "high yielding fit for purpose convenience retail offer", "a freehold title providing approximately 102,000 square feet" and with "60 per cent of the rent secured against national multiple occupiers".
Morecambe BID (Business Improvement District) is a business-funded body formed to improve a specific area of Morecambe town centre.
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