High fashion retailer Burberry was always busy in the 1990s.High fashion retailer Burberry was always busy in the 1990s.
High fashion retailer Burberry was always busy in the 1990s.

We asked which iconic Princes Street shops should be brought back - the public answered

These days it seems that Princes Street’s shops change hands with the seasons, but delving back into our archives reminds us of the dozens of household names that stuck around long enough to be remembered forever.

For generations high quality brands such as Jenners, Darlings, and RW Forsyth shared the kilometre-long thoroughfare with a raft of popular stores, including John Menzies, C&A, Littlewoods, Woolworths, and Binn’s.

But recent decades have not been kind to these former retailing giants, and today only Jenners remains, and even that particular Edinburgh icon is all set to vanish.

Away from the big stores, there were plenty smaller outlets that also made their own indelible mark.

Many locals still recall their days shopping at the likes of Lillywhites sports shop, Rankin’s fruit & veg, and Saxone’s shoes. Successful UK-wide franchises such as HMV, Virgin Megastore, the Disney Store, and Burberry are much-missed too.

We asked the public which iconic shops they would like to see return to the city’s main drag, and, boy, did they answer.

To start us off, here are 11 Princes Street shops we’d like to see make a comeback – keep your eyes peeled for part two, which will follow soon.

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