St James Quarter: First images of shoppers queuing from 3am for opening of LEGO store at Edinburgh's new city centre shopping centre

Eager shoppers have been queuing since 3am to be the first across the threshold of Edinburgh’s new LEGO store.

It comes as the first phase of the newly-built St James Quarter opened at 9am, after five years of construction.

The £1 billion development currently includes more than 40 retailers, including the new LEGO store - which is already proving popular with customers.

Photos from the city centre launch show dozens of shoppers queued up outside the toy shop, in a line stretching all the way from the storefront to the curbside.

It is understood that access to the shop will be controlled by stewards throughout the day - a measure designed to ensure its Covid capacity is not breached.

Speaking at the opening, Martin Perry, director of development for St James Quarter, said: “This is a momentous occasion for the city of Edinburgh – and this is just the beginning.

“The brands and experience that we have welcomed today demonstrate our commitment to delivering a curated destination for the people of Edinburgh.

“We are now looking forward to continuing on our journey to deliver a truly mixed-use destination of the future as we welcome more brands, leisure, and our new neighbours.”

The St James Quarter’s hospitality and residential elements are set to be completed in three further phases through to 2022.

The first phase of development is made up of 850,000sq ft of shopping premises.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.