Legendary family-run greengrocers Rankins of Edinburgh recalled by those who knew it best

For three generations Edinburgh said it with flowers.. and fruit

Back in the days when the greengrocer was king, there was one family-run chain that was top banana in the Capital.

Known for their high calibre produce, Rankin’s fruit and flowers shops were once ubiquitous operating more than twenty branches from Corstorphine to Musselburgh down the years and employing 400 staff across their retail and wholesale divisions in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and London.

The seeds of the family business were sown in 1912, when two entrepreneurial brothers, Peter and William Rankin, started selling fruit and vegetables from a hand cart in Infirmary Street.

By the end of the First World War, the family had shops at Portobello High Street and St Patrick Square with many more to follow.

From humble beginnings sprouted three generations of prosperity that saw Rankin’s ripen into a much-loved Edinburgh institution towards the end of the century.

Last October, almost 34 years to the day since the business was sold, the Rankin family hosted a reunion for former staff at Ryan’s Bar in Edinburgh’s West End.

The poignant meet up was led by Dorothy McQueen, née Rankin, whose first job was in the family business aged just 13 while still at school.

Dorothy was browsing the Lost Edinburgh Facebook group a couple of years ago when she stumbled upon a thread inquiring if members could recall Rankin’s.

Staggered by people’s responses, Dorothy launched a dedicated Facebook page, Rankins of Edinburgh.

The page’s following grew fast and, before long, it became clear that a reunion was on the cards. For Dorothy, there could be only one venue for such an event.

Rankins of Edinburgh lasted generations and employed hundreds of staff in Edinburgh and further afield.

“Ryan’s Bar was the obvious choice, because that was the biggest shop,” Dorothy, 55, told the Evening News.

“If you go to their website, one of the first things that’s mentioned is the bar used to be a Rankin’s shop.

“They [the Ryan’s Bar staff] were quite excited about it and were absolutely brilliant with us.”

Among the 23 attendees at Ryan’s Bar was Elaine Gurr, who cut flowers on those very premises as a 14-year-old in the late seventies.

Rankins' Flowers and Fruit at 80 Princes Street.

“I worked there till I was ready to leave school then worked for about eight years in the fruit market at Chesser,” recalls Elaine, 55, whose late mother, a bookeeper, was also a Rankin’s employee.

“I was cutting flowers and used to come home with every finger covered in thorns, because you had to do it in a certain way.

“I’ve got really happy memories of Rankin’s and they were always very kind. My mother had crippling arthritis - she could hardly walk - and Mr Peter [Rankin] almost always made sure she got a lift home.

“I don’t know of anybody saying anything bad about working there.”

While much of their produce was grown at their market garden in Portobello, Rankin’s sold apples, oranges and bananas from the Americas and imported a whole host of more exotic items from the far flung corners of the world, giving the shops a boutique reputation.

Dorothy McQueen said: “Rankin’s wasn’t a cheap shop, but it was expensive because it was quality and people will tell you that.

Dorothy McQueen, née Rankin, organised a reunion of former Rankin's staff at Ryan's Bar last October.

“We sold quite unusual things for the time. I remember when avocados first arrived, they had a launch and everything. And when kiwi fruit came for the first few times, they arrived from New Zealand. To actually transport something all that way and keep it fresh was quite incredible.”

One man who knows the history of the family business inside out is David Brown Rankin Gillon.

David, whose mother ran the West End flagship store, started at Rankin’s as a teenager in 1954 and would eventually go on to become one of the company directors.

Now aged 82, David says he caught a glimpse of the future during a business trip to America in 1968.

He said: “The Americans were years ahead of the UK. They were working on this thing called bar codes.. a magic eye that meant the shop assistant wouldn’t have to ring everything up. ‘That’ll never happen here’, we thought.

“Things changed once people started having cars and the supermarkets came along. We were counter service and our premises just weren’t big enough to compete.”

Among Rankin’s most loyal patrons was the royal family. The firm was By Appointment, supplying Holyrood Palace, and, according to David, Her Majesty, The Queen would specifically request hand-picked white peaches when in residence.

Dorothy McQueen is in little doubt her maiden name still carries a lot of meaning in Edinburgh - famous Fife-born crime writers aside.

She said: “It was in the news fairly recently about the new Northcare Manor down at Slateford, they’ve got a little row of shops, as a lot of care homes that look after people with dementia have, and Rankin’s grocers is one of the shops.”

Dorothy added: “I have a romantic view and treasured memories of the business, but it really makes me so proud that so many people have fond memories of working for or shopping with us.

“It’s clear from people’s comments that we were a caring and respected company and employer.”

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