EVERY major city has one, a single street that people the world over recognise instantly as the place to go to shop until they drop.
New York has Fifth Avenue, London has Oxford Street, Glasgow has Sauchiehall Street . . . and Edinburgh has Princes Street.
They are busy streets every shopper knows will deliver the goods; from children’s clothes to kitchen utensils, from diamon
d rings to rock CDs.
But a wind of change is blowing east to west through Princes Street . . . and it’s sending an icy chill down many spines.
News that one of Princes Street’s few major department stores is hoping to relocate has prompted fresh concerns over what the future holds for one of Britain’s best known shopping routes.
And fears are growing that the once bustling west end could become the victim of the dramatic change of fortunes surrounding retail business at its opposite end.
The chain has confirmed it is keen to leave behind its cramped 50,000sq ft base in favour of a more spacious premises somewhere in the centre of the city.
Perhaps with an eye on the hustle and bustle being created by the prospect of the new Harvey Nichols, revamped John Lewis and Jenners, a £100 million Greenside Place leisure and retail development combined with the possibility of the Waverley roof development, Frasers no longer seems to see a bright future in remaining at what is increasingly looking like being the "wrong end" of town. According to the chain’s operations director Steve Hibbert, the plan is to search out a more spacious 150,000sq ft premises - floorspace that, currently at least, Princes Street simply cannot provide. Experts already concerned at the number of ‘bargain’ shops and temporary lets littering Princes Street, say it’s difficult to see just where in the city centre Frasers might go.
Patrick Browne, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, wonders if this could well be the first firm evidence of an east-west divide for Princes Street. "We are talking about the golden triangle effect: you have Harvey Nichols, John Lewis and Jenners which could drain custom away from the west end," he says.
"What is particularly concerning is that if Frasers are already thinking of moving, then that implies a number of other retailers are looking at their site too and questioning whether it is right for them."
Retailers don’t want to try to do business next door to boarded-up shops, he adds. "The last thing anyone wants is death by a thousands cuts as retailers gradually pull out."
The loss of such a well-established department store at what once was a prime location overlooking the Lothian Road and Shandwick Place junction would be bad news for a capital city which just a fortnight ago learned its status as a shopping location has been overtaken by the likes of Southampton and Reading. While Glasgow comes second only to London’s West End for the quality and choice of stores, Edinburgh could only manage 12th position in the Experian league table, lagging behind places such as Nottingham and Cardiff.
The city is losing £140 million a year to its west coast rival, where the Buchanan Galleries, sprawling department stores and quirky malls, big-name designer shops and the Italian Centre draw in shoppers from around the country.
Even with the prospect of a revamped east end shopping experience and the magnetic pull of Harvey Nichols, Edinburgh business leaders and city councillors agree that a radical look at the future of Princes Street, with its jumble of empty units and bargain-basement shops, is essential if the city is to make it into the top tier of European shopping destinations.
But the key problems are the very factors which make Princes Street so attractive - its stunning architecture and location.
"Edinburgh is a world heritage site and there’s a limit to what can be done in relation to the building design and demolition," says Patrick Browne. "The beauty and architectural history is what pulls in the tourists and they spend £1 in every £8 that is spent in the city centre. The last thing you want is to affect that."
City council leader Donald Anderson refuses to believe Mr Browne’s golden triangle theory. "It’s not location that is the issue," he insists, "it is the type of building. I really don’t think there is a threat of the Frasers property lying empty for a long time, not when the financial district is in such close proximity."
He confirms there is no shortage of desirable stores eyeing up Princes Street but giving them the space they want is a near impossibility. He cites recent attempts to lure Selfridges to the capital which failed, not because the store giant did not want an Edinburgh presence but because there simply wasn’t a big enough site for their needs.
"Companies want to come into Princes Street but the buildings aren’t of the type that they are looking for." Councillor Anderson says. "That doesn’t mean the rebuilding of Princes Street is an option, but we do need to look at ways to promote some selective development of some sites.
"The problem is that Princes Street is a fantastic retail location - rentals are the second highest in the UK which is a reflection of the scale of demand - but it’s difficult to find suitable space for modern stores. No-one wants to go on a demolition programme to make space available for new shops."
Yet demolition is on the cards at one site. There are currently plans to bulldoze the B-listed former C&A and Burberry shops, sandwiched between the Waverley Hotel and Top Man, and create a modern, eight-storey, polished stone and glass shop and office development.
It could well meet Frasers’ size requirements, but currently only four floors of the £50m development are earmarked for retail use. Likewise, the former GPO building at Waterloo Place could provide the necessary acreage, but it is to house offices. And, as Stefano Boni, chairman of the City Centre Combined Business Association, points out, proposals to create new shops at Waverley Station and the underground Princes Street Gardens mall are far from reaching fruition.
"It’s very difficult to see what the future holds for Princes Street," he says. "There are various landlords owning various parts - it’s not as if one person controls the whole street and the local authority can’t just go in and take over, building new, larger stores.
"Unfortunately it is a common problem for many cities. Shops want premises of a certain size and we simply have not got that space in a city centre location."
He sees any question of Frasers relocating as a double-edged sword. "It would be disappointing if they left Princes Street but the fact they want to go to bigger premises is positive - the demand is there for them to have a bigger shop.
"I’m sure others would come in to take up the Frasers shop - it’s a classic site but again not big enough to attract the likes of Selfridges."
The challenge, adds Patrick Browne, is to develop a strategy which will provide larger stores with the legroom they require while retaining the right retail mix and without tearing down buildings. "The city council and developers have to come up with a responsible plan of action. If retailers decide to move or consolidate in one location, then it must be managed effectively.
"There’s a lack of modern retail space on Princes Street, which is exactly what the retailers are looking for. The bottom line is if you want a strong retail presence you must look at the design of the buildings."
Frasers, meanwhile, insist the shutters are not coming down on its west end shop right away. "There are no concrete plans at all for the Edinburgh site - we made a huge investment there in 1997 and the site has continued to be extremely successful," says spokesman Josh Royson. "But given the size of Edinburgh’s retail scene it would be ideal for us to trade from more space.
"The problem is the scale of property we are talking about very rarely comes up on Princes Street - if it did, we would be in it tomorrow."
The chain has checked out premises at Ocean Terminal in Leith and the Gyle, but an out of town mall is not on its agenda.
"We want to trade on Princes Street," Mr Royson adds. "That’s where Frasers wants to be."
A century of meeting, greeting and shopping FOR more than 100 years there has been a leading department store at the west end of Princes Street. Generations of shoppers have flocked there to shop and take tea, while hundreds of hearts have been broken beneath the building’s clock, as sweethearts waited first in trepidation then desperation still hoping that their date would show up.
And in its 108 years there have been three name changes, numerous refurbishments and a massive rebuilding programme which saw the original turreted premises demolished in favour of the 1930s facade still there today.
The story of one of Edinburgh’s best-loved shops began in 1894 when drapers Robert Maule & Son threw open the doors to its store, which ran from 146-148 Princes Street and 1-5 Hope Street. Previously the premises had been the Osborne Hotel, which was damaged by fire in 1879 (the hotel moved to York Place) and then the Scottish Liberal Club, which was inaugurated by Gladstone.
When it opened the shop was described as "one of the largest and best-appointed drapery house, furnishing and fashion emporiums in Scotland" and huge crowds flocked to the store as it boasted one of the first tearooms and electric lifts in Edinburgh.
The advertising slogan "Meet me at Maules" became a catchphrase and a way of life in Edinburgh, carrying on down the years despite ownership changing hands and even these days Frasers corner is the city’s most popular rendezvous point.
In 1928 the business became a PLC and had been expanded to take in 145 and 145A Princes Street, but when Sir Robert (the son who had taken over from his father was awarded a knighthood for his philanthropic works) died in 1931, the firm passed into the hands of trustees, and was then acquired by H Binns & Son Co Ltd.
As Binns department store the premises were rebuilt, then in 1953 House of Fraser took over the Binns group and the shop, which by then comprised 50 departments on seven floors, passed into new hands.
It was only in 1960 that the famous clock was added to the shopfront, and in 1976 came a final name change to Frasers and yet another facelift. Yet it wasn’t until 1981 that the store fitted its 12 elevators and the top floor restaurant.
Eight years ago, when the store celebrated its centenary, manager Kay Jones-Wolsey said she was sure there would be many more changes in the next 100 years.
Moving out of the west end was probably not quite what she had in mind.
The full article contains 1883 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
