Avalanche records busiest ever month – with a little help from my friends

I’ve been critical before especially over the roof, and we are still to see how that pans out, but hopefully as Avalanche moves to a much bigger unit opposite our current shop and as other empty spaces are also filled, it is fair to say the headline was fairly accurate.

Chappell Roan helped Avalanche Records to its busiest ever month

I was interested to see all the headlines this week about the Eastgate shopping centre in Inverness which were very positive indeed with the owners saying that “store refurbishments, relocations, new store openings and upsizing reflect strong confidence in the city centre”.

Certainly the Waverley Market could promote itself better when it has good news and even Essential Edinburgh, the organisation that looks after most of the city centre and generally do a very good job in doing so, have been fairly quiet on the positive vibes front this year.

Admittedly after an £8.5 million investment from the Eastgate’s owners you would expect them to be pleased that several big names have committed to staying while others have invested in the centre themselves with refurbishments and expansion.

While not quite in that league Avalanche’s move involves a six figure investment from both myself and the owners and is a million pound deal over the next ten years. Add in the works on the roof to be completed this year and the soon to be open King Pins bowling alley and restaurant, along with the recent opening of a flagship Sostrene Grene store on Waverley Steps, and it is not hard to see that there is already a sizeable investment underway with more coming in the next few months.

Waverley Market does benefit from the fact that visitors normally think they might as well take a look inside even if from the outside they don’t see anything that appeals to them. Most shopping centres these days suffer from locals not patronising them and I have repeatedly said to the centre’s management that there needs to be more focus on attracting locals, though of course when it comes to those working locally it is still a fact that those figures have dropped dramatically as folk still work from home after the pandemic.

Maybe “Shopping Centres Not As Bad As You Think They Are” needs work as a slogan but certainly an acknowledgement that people these days can have a negative perception of shopping centres that is not entirely accurate should be at the heart of any campaign. One thing I have learned in more recent years is that footfall is king. Before the internet having a shop just off the main drag was the best place for a cool indie shop but now those customers who sought out interesting shops have very much moved to buying online.

With over seven million visitors a year Waverley Market provides footfall that can compete with Princes Street itself and with enough diversity that it can be the basis for any successful business. At Avalanche August was our busiest ever month thanks to the outstanding footfall and of course with a little help from Oasis, AC/DC and Chappell Roan!