A legendary Aberdeen department store that once sold for millions attracted bids of little more than £200,000 as it went under the hammer.
Esslemont and McIntosh holds fond memories for generations of city shoppers.
But the upper floors have lain empty since it closed in 2007, with various plans to revive it coming and going over the years.
The grand granite 26-38 Union Street buildings today went up for auction, with a guide price of £356,000.
This marked a steep drop from its 2007 asking price of £6.24 million, which included the ground floor.
Esslemont’s Bar and Restaurant, Mac’s Pizzeria and the Miller and Carter Steakhouse were not part of the deal this time.
What was the final asking price for Esslemont and McIntosh at auction?
Today, the opening bid shortly after the 10am start time was just £209,000.
By 1pm this crept up to £217,000, with all interest coming from Glasgow.
The auction drew to a close around 3pm, with nobody topping that tally.
There were nine bids throughout the day, as potential purchasers tussled over the almost 40,000sq ft of floor space across the two former retail units.
The eventual top bid was less than the cost of some individual flats in Cults.
What next?
The Esslemont and McIntosh building is now listed as up for sale until Thursday, May 9, with the guide price knocked down to £295,000.
The guide price is not “necessarily” the figure which it will sell for.
But anyone keen to snap it up immediately has the option to buy it now for that sum.
But that wasn’t the only bargain at auction…
During the same sale, operated by Future Property Auctions, another pair of Union Street premises went under the hammer.
An empty unit at number 375 went for just £8,250 following a brief bidding war between buyers from Glasgow and Peterhead.
And the Ultra Mobile phone shop at 185 Union Street went for £109,000 – also to a Glasgow party.
Who could be behind the Esslemont and McIntosh purchase?
The huge former department store was offered for sale as a property with “HUGE POTENTIAL”.
Auctioneers suggested it could be converted into a block of 64 flats.
What would you like to see happen to the old Esslemont and McIntosh? Let us know in our comments section below
Any transformation plans will need to be approved by the council.
But while the future remains unclear, there has been an increasing trend towards city centre housing in recent months…
The sale comes just weeks after a Central Belt developer unveiled plans to turn a pair of landmark Aberdeen buildings into student flats.
Simon Flame has lodged proposals for the former TSB building on Union Terrace, and the same businessman is behind a similar scheme at the old Northern Hotel.
Correction: A previous version of this article said the property had been sold for £217,000. We are happy to clarify that it remains available to buy.Â
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