The city is a popular shopping centre, with its unique ‘Rows’ or galleries (basically two levels of shops) which date from medieval times. The city is heavily populated by chain stores both in the centre and on retail parks to the west, and also features two indoor shopping centres, an indoor market and a department store, Browns of Chester, once known as ‘the Harrods of the North’, now absorbed by the Debenhams chain. There are two main indoor shopping centres, The Grosvenor Mall and the Forum. The latter refers to the city’s Roman past, and is to be demolished in the Northgate Development to make way for new shopping streets, a new indoor market, a new library and a performing arts centre.