Locals have voiced their dismay following the announcement by Marks & Spencer that its long-standing store on Aberdeen’s St Nicholas Street will close next year.
All permanent staff will transfer to the Union Square site in the spring of 2025, with the new shop becoming the fourth biggest M&S in Scotland.
The store on St Nicholas Street has been a presence in Aberdeen city centre since 1944.
Politicians have criticised the company’s decision, fearing a further risk to the essence of Aberdeen city centre following the closure of major stores such as Debenhams, John Lewis, Esslemont & Macintosh, and House of Fraser.
Are we witnessing the slow death of the high street? Can it be resuscitated or is the decline now fatal?
Covid undeniably sped up the death of our high street stores. The economic loss damaged every high street shop, the giants and the indies, the cafes, and the salons. But did the pandemic simply exacerbate a pre-existing condition?
Online shopping has undoubtedly contributed to the demise of high street
The growth of online shopping has undoubtedly contributed to the malaise which has struck our high streets.
We head home on a Friday, tired from a long week at work, with a plan to stream the latest trending box set and order our favourite food through an app, possibly tipping the delivery driver before the food has even landed.
The more online options we’re offered, the more we see the greyed-out, empty shopfronts and graffitied shutters.
So what? Ordering online has become such a convenience that the thought of physically walking somewhere to pick up a takeaway or talking to someone on the phone has become a chore.
If you had told me 20 years ago that I would be sitting in my living room on a Friday night, warmed by the scent of a soya candle I only ordered online yesterday, tapping into my phone and within 15 minutes I’d have a curry and wine in front of me I would have shuddered at the thought.
I’d have wanted to stay out in town, have a couple of pints in a cosy pub, then wander down to my favourite Indian restaurant.
But here we are. More major shops and chain stores are set to close their doors this year, with more than 6,000 retail outlets locking their shutters for the last time since 2018.
City centres have suffered the most, while retail parks seem to be faring better, bolstered by large supermarkets, DIY and furniture stores, which all did well during the pandemic. Shoppers seem happier to drive to bigger shops than visit High Streets.
Signs of optimism in Aberdeen despite the recession?
Are there some signs of life that can encourage optimism?
People clearly do still want a shopping experience, and there is still an appetite for new operators on the High Street, although that’s possibly all under one roof and with a car park on the top floor.
Within the Union St complex, several high-end stores and chain restaurants continue to open.
Work on the new Aberdeen Market building, costing tens of millions, has just commenced. The project is set to be completed in 2026, a year later than scheduled. The building has been called “transformational” and aims to provide a continental-style ambience.
Despite the loss of the much-loved M&S, Aberdeen is actually bucking the trend seen across the rest of the country. According to the Office for National Statistics, more than 345,000 businesses closed last year, which at 11.8% is a whopping 5% jump from the previous year. New businesses fell by 7%, worryingly equivalent to 2020 and the first year of lockdown.
The north-east, however, appears to be indicating an alternative trajectory. From June to November last year, 16 new units opened in Aberdeen, while 14 closed.
Additional government funding has been ring-fenced for Union St, and the Granite Mile initiative offers a generous start-up package to incentivise new businesses.
Should we be cautiously optimistic? Perhaps the death of the traditional high street is simply a transformation into a new way of living and shopping, and we must alter the way we look at our inner cities and town centres.
There’s evidence to suggest that a creative-led approach to regeneration can tempt people back, but this strategy requires respect for the cultural and historical background of the neighbourhood, plus a sensible approach to rents for up-and-coming creative enterprises.
Therein lies one of the major problems, especially while energy costs remain terrifyingly high.
What I worry about most is the loss of jobs; people; energy; and community. And now we are back in a recession, it doesn’t seem overly pessimistic to suggest that there may be more bumps in the road ahead.
Can Aberdeen survive the challenges and emerge as a welcoming, thriving, and dynamic city centre, with pockets of buzzing, grassroots creativity?
Cities are living, breathing entities; they are constantly evolving.
Let’s hope that the people responsible for Aberdeen’s future can harness this energy to ensure the city becomes even more culturally and socially vital.
Donna McLean is originally from Ayrshire and is a mum of twins, writer and activist
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