Edinburgh city centre traders hope for bumper weekend as Princes Street reopens
City centre traders hope for bumper weekend as Princes Street reopens
The reopening of Princes Street has sparked hopes of a bumper weekend for businesses operating in the area.
Traders at a market in Edinburgh city centre have said they are hoping for a weekend of increased sales as Princes Street reopens after seven-weeks. Stallholders at the nearby Castle Street Market said they hope the return of buses and trams on the city’s main thoroughfare will lead to an increase in footfall
Alan Hannah, who runs a clothing and Scottish goods stall at the market, said locals had been staying away due to the lack of buses going down Princes Street and that trade had been “slower” and is glad to see the street reopen
He told the Press Association: “It’s great, it’s just such a delight to have it open and back to running.
“With the buses stopping at the top of the street, people will be here.”
Mr Hannah said he was looking forward to a “bumper” day of trade with the street reopening.
Echoing those comments was Douglas Copland—who runs a jewellery stall with his wife Meredith and has been coming to Castle Street Market each summer for 12 years.
He said footfall had been lower in the weeks following the fire, which had “definitely” affected trade.
Mr Copland said: “I’m grateful, the sun’s out shining, this is our last two days of trading so we’re hoping to go out on a high.”
He added: “Perhaps with Princes Street opening it will be a tourist attraction in itself.”
Andy McCreath, who runs Castle Street Flowers, said he had been advised to stay away on the day of the fire.
He said: “There was an immediate change in footfall.
“As soon as you remove the buses and the trams, you notice it immediately.”
Mr McCreath welcomed the reopening but said Princes Street needed more support and had appeared “run down for years”.
He said: “With all the main shops in Princes Street moving along to St James Quarter, that’s not helped at all.
“Yes, it’s a shame to lose a historical building, if it comes to that.
“But realistically something has to be done with the whole of Princes Street.”
Princes Street reopened to the Lothian Bus and Edinburgh Trams services on Saturday morning following testing on Friday evening. Earlier, City of Edinburgh Council leader Jane Meagher said that she was “delighted” that to see reopen
Cllr Meagher thanked those involved in the reopening.
She said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to reopen Princes Street ahead of schedule today. It’s fantastic to see buses, trams and pedestrians making their way down our main thoroughfare after what has been an incredibly challenging few weeks for the city.
“A great deal of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to make this possible – and I want to reiterate my thanks to our council teams and engineers who have carried out painstaking work to make the building secure as quickly and safely as possible. I also want to thank Lothian Buses for keeping the city moving over the past seven weeks, and our residents and visitors for their patience.”