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Victory for shoppers as centre gets old name back

Martin Heath
BBC News, Hertfordshire
SGS Group Red internal wall of the Atria centre, with lettering saying "Harlequin Watford". The Q in Harlequin has a diamond-shaped "hole" in the middle, reflecting the traditional Harlequin checked pattern. There is a next store below the sign, featuring pictures of models wearing Next clothing. There is an escalator in the foreground and another shop to the left of the picture.SGS Group
The owners have created an artist's impression of the new signage

A shopping centre which has been rebranded twice in just over a decade is to get its original name back.

The owners of Atria in Watford said their decision was "in direct response to overwhelming feedback".

It was opened as the Harlequin in 1990, became Intu in 2013 - and changed to Atria in 2021.

The Mayor of Watford said he was "delighted" by the news.

The Harlequin Centre got its original name as a result of a competition in a local paper.

It may have been a reference to a popular name for a nearby railway service - the Harlequin Line - so-called because it passed through both Harlesden and Queen's Park.

Google Two-storey brick building which curves round to the right in line with the road. It has tall narrow windows on the first floor and "THE HARLEQUIN" in 20s-style lettering towards the top above two of the windows. There are cars on the road in front of the building and a set of traffic light.Google
The Harlequin branding, as seen on the back of the building, was in place from 1990 to 2023

The name became Intu Watford in 2013 when the parent company was taken over by Intu Properties.

It was relabelled as Atria Watford in 2021, a name chosen to reflect the skylights across its roof.

But a campaign began almost immediately to bring back the Harlequin moniker.

Getty Images The exterior of a modern shopping centre, with "atria Watford" in blue and orange lettering on a white panel above the glass wall of a shopping centre cafe. There is a circular red wall to the right.Getty Images
The centre was renamed Atria Watford in 2021

The owners, SGS Group, said the original name would return in the summer because they had "a deep respect for the town's heritage and place great importance on connecting with Watford's residents and understanding what matters to them".

The centre will also have an "exuberant" new logo, fresh signage and a new website.

Centre director, Simon Plum, said: "For over 20 years, its name represented more than just a shopping opportunity.

"This isn't about looking back, it's about embracing what makes Harlequin special."

Peter Taylor with short dark hair smiling at the camera while wearing a dark jacket, white shirt and red tie. His is standing in front of a railway station and some yellow plastic shapes installed as play equipment in the street.
Peter Taylor, the Mayor of Watford, said the Harlequin name had always been special to people in the town

Watford's elected mayor, Peter Taylor, said: "I am delighted that the owners have restored this name for our town's shopping centre.

"The Harlequin name has always been special to many people in Watford."

Reacting to the news on social media, many Watford residents said they always called the centre by its original name whatever it may have said over the door.

Atria is one of the UK's largest in-town shopping centres and the owners said it had had its highest ever number of visitors last year.

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