'Almost a horror story': Eerie photo emerges of empty Jenners following closure of iconic store

A photograph has appeared online showing the empty and deserted interior of Jenners department store following its closure.

The famous Jenners store in Edinburgh's Princes Street has been emptied of stock and fittings.

Let us know what you think and join the conversation at the bottom of this article.

Posted on social media on Sunday evening, the image shows the elegant main hall of the landmark former department store, which would normally be packed with shoppers and racks of high-end goods, looking forlorn and bereft of stock and fittings.

Followers of the Lost Edinburgh Facebook group were unanimous in sharing their sadness at the sight of the empty shop, which for generations held a reputation as being the finest retail experience in Scotland’s capital.

One person wrote: “This is so sad. When I came to Edinburgh at Christmas this would be the first shop I would go to.”

A second person posted: “So sad to see this beautiful store looking like this. End of an era for sure.”

“Almost a horror story, so sad for all of us who loved this wonderful shop,” wrote another.

The store officially closed last month.

The author of the photograph, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Evening News they had been in to see the store in its final days last month.

A commenter on their post added: “This is so sad. A lot of my family in years gone by worked here. Lucky they’re not here to see it.”

The famous store, which had been a mainstay on Princes Street in Edinburgh for more than 180 years, officially ceased trading in April.

There was some controversy in the days following the closure, when it emerged that the iconic gold Jenners signage had been removed from the building without the knowledge of its owners.

Jenners’ closure was announced in January by the Fraser Group, owned by Sports Direct tycoon Mike Ashley.

Company bosses said at the time that they had been unable to reach a “fair” rental agreement with landlord, Danish retail clothing billionaire, Anders Povlsen.

Famously dubbed the ‘Harrods of the north’, Jenners had operated continuously from the corner of Princes Street and South St David Street since 1838.

Once known for being Scotland’s oldest independent department store, the Jenners brand was sold to House of Fraser for £46million in 2005, and in 2018 Sports Direct bought House of Fraser out of administration.

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 at https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/subscriptions.