Former Intu Derby shopping centre changes name to 'Derbion'

How the shopping centre could look in the next few months Credit: PA/Derbion/ITV News Central

Derby's main shopping centre will now be known as "Derbion."

The name change comes after the centre's previous owners Intu fell into administration last year.

The owners say the name, "brings together the centre’s geographical location and a sense of motion, inspired by Derby’s history of ingenuity and innovation, coupled with an ambition to continually move forward and evolve."

The name of the former Intu centre in Derby Credit: Derbion

People have had a lot to say about the choice, with some confusion as people struggle to pronounce the name. Here are some of the comments from the centre's Facebook page:

  • Graham King - "I think going back to the Eagle Centre name would have made more sense than that."

  • Claire Pegg asked - "How do you pronounce Derbion anyway? Are we supposed to use the US pronunciation of Derby now?"

  • Lee Wood confidently replied with "It's pronounced Dar-be-un."

  • Susie Steeples Vardy - "Why? It just doesn't have an easy ring to it"

  • Emily O'Neill suggested "Derbados...like Barbados but Derby. Everyone at uni used to call it that"

  • Christina Murphy - "Actually, warming to it. The logo is really strong but it doesn’t really roll of the tongue!"

The owners say they spent months doing research before choosing the name:

We had a go at imagining how the centre might look:

How the centre might look Credit: PA/ITV News Central/Derbion
Credit: Derbion/ITV News Central

The new brand will be displayed from March 2021 throughout the store, with the outside signs changing in May.