Aberdeen’s retail offering has taken a huge hit during lockdown, as seven more shops will not be reopening.
And calls have been made for people to shop local in a bid to support the high street amid the challenges faced by retailers as a result of the pandemic.
Oasis, Warehouse and Menkind in the Bon Accord Centre have closed down.
Meanwhile, Jigsaw has not confirmed whether it will be welcoming customers back through the door in Aberdeen, but its profile has been removed from the Bon Accord website.
Laura Ashley will also be shutting down, with the firm going into administration.
Ernest Jones, H Samuel and Timpsons in the Trinity Centre have also shut.
And Molton Brown will not be reopening its store in the city.
Oasis and Warehouse have gone into administration during the past few months, meaning that all sites have also been shut down.
Ernest Jones and H Samuel were two popular jewellers in the Trinity Centre but both have been closed down, with signs on their door making customers aware of the next nearest branch.
Timpsons will also not be reopening in the centre.
Craig Stevenson, Bon Accord Centre manager, said they would continue to work to make the mall an appealing place for retailers.He said: “Retail is a challenging environment, even more so following the lockdown period. A small minority of stores have not reopened, with some still to confirm their reopening date.
“Bon Accord continues to work with retailers offering solutions to suit the changing market place, whilst delivering a thriving retail destination in the heart of Aberdeen.”
Linda Stewart, general manager at the Trinity Centre, said that they were working very hard to fill the void left by the three now empty units.
She said: “It was very unfortunate that H Samuel, Ernest Jones and Timpsons did not reopen following the lockdown period, sales were healthy in these units but we did anticipate that some stores would not reopen following a three month closure.
“The lettings team are working very hard in a very difficult climate to fill in the voids as many businesses will be feeling the after effects of the lockdown.
“On a positive note all units that were due to open in the Trinity are now trading and footfall has improved daily, it has proved to be a positive restart. It is good to see the city centre coming alive again.”
An H Samuel and Ernest Jones spokeswoman confirmed that they would be moving out of the Trinity Centre.
She said: “Amid this challenging pandemic and fluid business conditions, we have accelerated a previous strategy to close some stores permanently starting this month.
“We have also introduced a new ‘Live Chat and Live Advice’ feature for our customers. This will enable our online customers to continue to receive 5* customer service and have the in store experience from the comfort and safety of their very own homes.
“We are of course contacting our customers, in order to connect them with any orders or repairs that maybe outstanding from the store.”
Menkind in Bon Accord will be shutting after being unable to finalise a lease extending agreement with its landlord.
A spokesman for the shop said: “It’s been a great pleasure bringing the Aberdeen community a unique selection of gifts including the latest gadgets, licensed merchandise and many other exciting products, for many years.
“Unfortunately we have not been able to agree new terms with the landlord and as a consequence our physical store in this location has now closed.
“We’ve enjoyed serving enthusiastic shoppers in this community who pride themselves in choosing the perfect gifts for their loved ones.
“Hopefully we will be able to come back to Aberdeen at some stage in the future. In the meantime we will continue to best serve them via our other retail locations and our online store at menkind.co.uk.”
Shane Taylor, research and policy manager at Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, spoke of the challenges faced by the retail sector and the need to get more people into town and city centres.
He said: “The weeks and months ahead are going to be tough for many parts of our economy but our high street retailers in particular face a really challenging environment.
“Both governments have taken some really welcome steps to protect retail, via the furlough scheme and through extensive business rates relief, but as we look to recover, long-term steps like a comprehensive review of the business rates system in light of Covid-19’s impact will be vital.
“Fundamentally though, getting footfall back into our town and city centres is the surest way to protect these businesses.
“The Scottish Government providing clarity on the timeline for the reopening of offices and the restart of live events in the weeks ahead should act to boost confidence for retailers across the region, as will all of us getting involved with initiatives like North East Now and supporting local.”
Councillor Marie Boulton, spokeswoman for the Aberdeen city centre masterplan, said people should support their local stores by shopping in person rather than online to try and prevent closures.
She said: “It is very sad to see many shops not reopening in the city centre, even before Covid-19 some shops were struggling with many people shopping online.
“I think that Covid-19 has been the final straw for some businesses but speaking to many people about their shopping habits they have said Covid-19 has made them appreciate being able to go into shops and they are thinking about going back to the traditional way of shopping in store rather than online.
“I know that many people have been relieved and delighted that John Lewis will be reopening their Aberdeen store on July 30.
“City centres are changing with a bigger variety of activities not just retail on offer, what we are trying to create is a destination where you can shop, eat out, go to the theatre, wander round the Art Gallery.
“If we want to keep our shops I would implore people to make sure they support them by shopping in store and not simply going online.”
Meanwhile, Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired issued a rallying call for people to work together to attract consumers into the city centre
He said.: “The ever-increasing challenges to the High Street, not least the advent of Covid-19, are well documented and of course Aberdeen City Centre is not immune.
“We have expectedly seen several familiar brands close down and there may well be one or two others to follow. However, a significant number of independent and national retailers in Aberdeen continue to provide an excellent service and offering with many continually look to diversify to meet the customer need.
“To complement, there has been considerable capital spend on a revitalised Art Gallery and Music Hall, to name but two projects, and we are capable of putting on world class events like the Nuart International Street Art Festival and Granite Noir.”
“We therefore need to continue to work together to create a safe and welcoming environment to attract people from across the city and region back into the heart of Aberdeen at time when our businesses need such support most.
“That is why the ‘buy local’ mantra has never been so important. Of course , this is not restricted to the day shopper, but to the office worker and those looking to make the city centre their home as new housing projects begin to spring up. I think we understand that this won’t all happen overnight, but many of us have an affection for this great city centre and through a collective will, pragmatic view and some real effort we can make progress.”
