Edinburgh residents’ shopping habits have changed over the years, with locals more likely to take the car to an out of town mall to do their shopping than shop locally. With others are happy to do their shopping online from the comfort of their sofa.
Edinburgh’s main shopping centres that have stood the test of time have changed a lot in the last few decades, with some changing their name, like the St James Centre becoming the St James Quarter, while Waverley Market was later Waverley Shopping Centre and Waverley Mall before reverting to its original 1985 name in 2021.
Take a look at our photo gallery to see the changes to Edinburgh’s shopping centres over the years, with some of ‘then’ photos sure to take you back in time.
1. Cameron Toll then
Cameron Toll was Edinburgh's first ‘out of town’ shopping centre, which opened in 1984 at a cost of £33 million. Built in the former grounds of Inch House between the A7 and A701 roads, the centre occupies a 26-acre site. The above photograph shows shops in the mall in 1993. Cameron Toll had the first ever bank that opened on Sundays in the UK. It also led the way by having lighting which was controlled by a computer system. | TSPL Photo: National World
2. Cameron Toll now
From 2015 to 2018, the shopping centre underwent a major overhaul of the shops and facilities. The former flagship Savacentre store was replaced by a Sainsbury's supermarket. In September 2016, McDonald's and Costa both completed new drive-thru locations in the northeast car park. In 2017, a new Aldi store was opened, replacing the BHS location that closed in August 2016. The Gym Group opened a brand new gym on the second floor of the centre in 2018, fully replacing the food court upstairs. | National World Photo: Neil Johnstone
3. St James Centre then
Pictured, is work taking place on the original St James Centre shopping centre in April, 1973. It opened later that year. The architecture of the government offices on top of the shopping centre made it one of Edinburgh's most unloved buildings, but the shopping centre was a popular and busy location with the city's shoppers. | TSPL Photo: National World
4. St James Quarter now
An £850 million redevelopment of the former shopping centre, New St Andrew's House office and hotel by its owners, Nuveen Real Estate, was undertaken in 2016. The new St James Quarter opened its first phase in June 2021, with additional stores and a cinema opening in 2022. The hotels opened later in 2023, due to small delays in construction as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. | National World Photo: Kevin Quinn