The Yorkshire-born businessman whose vision helped to transform the heart of Bradford has died, aged 100.

Arnold Hagenbach was the entrepreneur who brought the American shopping mall concept to the streets of Bradford.

Mr Hagenbach, with his partner Sam Chippindale, completed the Kirkgate shopping centre - originally known as the Arndale Centre - in 1976.

The centre revolutionised Bradford's high street and its roof-top car park and temperature-controlled environment was innovative for its time.

Mr Hagenbach, from Wakefield, and Mr Chippindale, from Otley, founded the Arndale Property Trust in 1960 and built the chain of Arndale Centres across the country.

Arndale is a combination of their names.

In 1954, the company bought the Victorian Swan Arcade in Bradford and began building centres in Jarrow and Leeds.

The centres were revolutionary and quickly caught on. They aimed at providing a high-quality shopping space, with murals depicting historic achievements of the locality, play equipment for children and a climate-controlled environment creating a completely new shopping experience.

The company started work on the centre in Bradford in June 1972. The 400,000 sq ft of shopping space included a replacement for the Kirkgate Market, 50 shops, three department stores and two public houses. It cost more than £6 million.

Mr Hagenbach soon spread the concept to Shipley and then to towns across the North before focusing his attention abroad.

The centres were not always popular.

In Shipley he met with opposition from local traders and there was anger over the demolition of the Victorian Swan Arcade in Bradford.

Kirkgate Centre manager Catherine Riley said: "There is no doubt that Arnold Hagenbach and his partner Sam Chippindale are among the most influential names in retail history, changing British towns and cities forever.

"Although there was some opposition to the centres when they were originally built, it's hard to imagine life in 2005 without shopping complexes."