Bus bosses could rejig route to bring M&S shoppers to Union Square after flagship closure

First Bus previously said the bus gates could allow new routes in Aberdeen. Now the firm says it will "monitor" demand for new stops closer to the expanded Union Square Marks and Spencer.

By Alastair Gossip

January 19 2024, 12:02 pm

M&S will have a bigger and better store at Union Square. Image: M&S

Buses could be rerouted to carry Aberdeen shoppers closer to the new-look Marks and Spencer at Union Square.

News broke yesterday that M&S was to close its St Nicholas Street shop after 80 years of trading.

The high street giant will spend £15 million doubling the size of its Union Square premises, while doubling down on a single Aberdeen location.

How the revamped, larger Marks and Spencer store in Union Square, Aberdeen, could look. Image: Marks and Spencer

But loyal Marks and Spencer shoppers told us there would be “no reason to go past the Music Hall” on the way down Union Street once the store closes next spring.

Rosemary Paterson, 77, spoke for many when she said: “If you are elderly, disabled, pushing a pram or a wheelchair, how are you supposed to get to Union Square when the bus stop is on Union Street?”

Will Guild Street buses be enough for Marks and Spencer shoppers in Aberdeen?

Already, Stagecoach runs buses to Union Square from Aberdeenshire and beyond.

But the walk from the bus station through the shopping centre is far longer than the tootle through McCombie Court from Union Street to the current Aberdeen flagship Marks and Spencer.

Currently, bus passengers can zip through McCombie Court off the bus and into Marks and Spencer in Aberdeen. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

First Bus, too, runs routes through the area.

The operator running most of the city bus lines has nine which list Guild Street as a stop, including the 1B which runs between the Bridge of Don and Bridge of Dee.

However, the walk to the Union Square Marks and Spencer then includes crossing Aberdeen’s new bus priority route before trailing through the mall.

Would better bus links to the revamped Marks and Spencer at Union Square make it more likely you’ll stick by the brand? Let us know in the comments below.

First Bus will ‘monitor’ demand for better bus links to M&S

The Press and Journal asked First Bus if there were plans to reroute more services closer to the M&S doors.

The 3A First Bus takes in Guild Street on its route. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

We also asked if there was scope for buses to include the Union Square car park as a means of dropping shoppers as near as possible to Aberdeen’s new-look Marks and Spencers.

On Friday a First Bus spokesman told us: “We keep a close eye on developments across the city as they happen and how that impacts customer demand to and from different locations.

“This will then dictate any adjustments we make to our network.

“A large number of our services already stop in and around Union Square but we will continue to monitor any movements in customer demand once the changes take place in Spring 2025.”