A prominent clothing retailer could breathe new life into a long-disused unit at Aberdeen’s Bon Accord Centre. Edinburgh Woollen Mill is planning to invest more than £56,000 in bringing the former Miss Selfridge store back into use. The unit, which is between the clothing retailer’s sister brand Bonmarche and Marks and Spencer, has been empty for about four years.
The knitwear specialists have been a high street fixture in Aberdeen for decades. They currently run a store on 187 Union Street. However, the 2,211 sq ft site was recently sold off to a Glasgow developer for a bargain price of £137,000.
What is Edinburgh Woollen Mill planning for the currently disused Bon Accord unit? Documents say Edinburgh Woollen Mill plans to spend the money on sprucing up the former Miss Selfridge unit, improving lighting, drainage and ceilings. Sales and staff areas will also be created. Edinburgh Woollen Mill bosses haven’t disclosed specific details about the plans yet.
But sale documents say they have rented the Union Street shop . Whether they would opt out of their high street location when their lease is up is unclear. It also comes as the clothing company, which is behind the fashion brands Bonmarche and Peacocks, plan to open 100 new stores across the UK in the next 16 months.
Could this be another win in the battle to revive Aberdeen city centre? It is the latest plan formed to bring new life to the Bon Accord Centre, which was battered by a string of high-profile closures du.
