A BOUTIQUE department store is set to open in George Street after attracting Glasgow's glitterati to its original outlet.
Fifi and Ally stocks a range of clothes, food, gifts and accessories, mainly from leading designers, in a mini-department store set-up, part of which will regularly stay open until 10pm.
The Glasgow store has proved a huge hit since opening in Oc
tober last year and counts Hollywood star Robert Carlyle among its customers.
Retail analysts say landing one of the fledging chain's two new stores is a coup for the Capital. The other new store is to be opened in London.
Fifi and Ally was set up by two cousins, former fashion and retail expert Fiona Hamilton and Alison Fielding, who previously worked as a stylist for chart-topping acts including the Charlatans, the Prodigy, Basement Jaxx and the White Stripes.
Their store stocks a range of fashion, jewellery, lingerie, perfumes, ceramics and children's clothes, created by designers and artisans from around the world.
They include famous New York ceramicist Jonathan Adler, Danish clothes maker Rutzou and French design firm Antik Batik - a favourite with actresses Monica Bellucci and Uma Thurman.
A host of celebrities, including Scots pop star Sharleen Spiteri, TV presenter Natasha Kaplinski and TV makeover couple Colin and Justin, are among Fifi and Ally's Glasgow customers.
The pair's Edinburgh store is expected to be twice as big as the one in Glasgow, which is based in the city's exclusive Princes Square mall, and will employ at least 25 staff.
Like the Glasgow store, it will feature a patisserie and cafe bar, the Cupping Salon, which is celebrated in Glasgow for its organic cakes and bread.
Plans for the new city store have emerged just days after plans for the first Edinburgh International Fashion Festival in the spring.
Leading designers Vivienne Westwood, Matthew Williamson and Jonathan Saunders are among those being lined up for the event, which will be held over at least four days at the end of April.
Fiona Hamilton, of Glasgow, who was a chartered surveyor and retail property consultant before launching Fifi and Ally last year, said she and Ms Fielding hoped to go on to open stores in Leeds and Manchester as well as Edinburgh and London.
Ms Hamilton said: "Edinburgh is an obvious place for us to expand to and in many ways we believe it will be even more successful than in Glasgow.
"It was not a difficult choice to go to George Street, although the deal for the site hasn't gone through yet, but it is in a prime location.
"The city already has some very successful independent stores and boutiques and Fifi and Ally is a very individualistic concept store. Many of our lines are only available in Scotland at Fifi and Ally, and we don't buy in bulk, so things will come and go.
"We're planning to open for breakfast at 9am and stay open right through till around 10pm, which we think will be popular because the Cupping Salon will be open until then."
Fiona Moriarty, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: "Fifi and Ally has been very successful in Glasgow and I'm sure it'll do the same in Edinburgh.
"The concept appears to be all about speciality shopping and selling niche products, and that is certainly something that Edinburgh badly needs. It's great news for the city that it is coming here."
