

The iconic Princes Street shops Edinburgh locals want to see make a comeback (Part 2)
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.
Following on from part one in this short series, here are 9 more Princes Street shops we’d like to see make a comeback.
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1. C&A
Department store C&A Modes had been present at the east end of Princes Street for generations and had even survived a major fire in 1955. Sadly, the Dutch-founded firm closed its flagship Edinburgh store for the last time in 2001. A new build containing H&M clothing shop now occupies the site. Photo: JUSTIN SPITTLE

2. Virgin Megastore
Situated just a few doors along from its main rival, HMV, Richard Branson's Virgin Megastore thrived in an era when consumers still purchased physical music and film in person and in large quantities. The multi-level store closed for good in the late 2000s. Photo: JUSTIN SPITTLE

3. Smalls department store
Princes Street was once chock full of department stores, and one of the busiest was Smalls. Owned by House of Fraser, it closed its doors in 1977. Photo: Ian Brand

4. The Other Record Shop
The Other Record Shop, a hugely popular Edinburgh institution at one time, moved from the High Street to Princes Street in December 1985. Photo: Bill Newton