Further fears for Princes Street with H&M next brand to move to Edinburgh St James as three new shops announced

The news comes months after fellow Princes Street tenants Next and Zara were announced for the centre.

H&M has been revealed as another St James Centre tenant

Fashion giants H&M are to move into the new Edinburgh St James Centre, the Evening News can exclusively reveal.

Insider sources told the Evening News that three more stores, H&M, & Other Stories, and Miele Experience Centre will open in the new St James Centre this year.

It follows earlier announcements that fashion brands Next and Zara will also move to the new centre.

The Edinburgh St James Quarter will see a host of brands move away from Princes Street

H&M's main Edinburgh store is on Princes Street less than 500m away from its new location, while & Other Stories, a beauty and fashion brand which is part of the wider H&M group and Miele Experience Centre, the white goods appliances company's flagship display store, will have their first stores in Scotland in the St James Centre.

Princes Street is facing its toughest retail conditions for years due to competition from the St James Centre, with famous brands from the shopping street such as Jenners also likely to move into the new shopping centre.

Next departure from Princes Street confirmed

A Next spokesman also confirmed the closure of their Princes Street store, fuelling fears that H&M could follow suit.

However the departure of the Swedish brand from the Capital's main shopping street was denied by a spokesman who told the Evening News there were no plans to close their Princes Street store despite their new store in the St James Centre.

The spokesman for Next said: "We can confirm that we will be opening a store at the St James Centre in Edinburgh.

"As a result, the Princes Street store will close and resite when the new one in St James opens later this year."

New restaurants announced

Next, New Look, Hackett and Jenners have already been listed as potential and confirmed departures from the historic shopping street for the new shopping centre.

Last week, restaurant brands Yo! Sushi, Five Guys and @pizza were also revealed as new tenants in the St James Centre.

While Yo! Sushi will open its third location, alongside its restaurants in Princes Street and Edinburgh Airport, in St James Centre, however the future of existing restaurants owned by Five Guys and @pizza are unclear.

Other brands confirmed for the centre include Mango, Bershka, Stradivarius, Pull&Bear, The Alchemist, and an expanded John Lewis.

The new centre, which is marketing itself as a luxury destination, will also be home to an Everyman Cinema, a W Hotel, a Roomzzz Aparthotel and several residential flats.

The £1 billion centre due to open in October 2020 will host 85 shops, 30 restaurant, two hotels and a cinema.

When the centre opens its doors in October 2020, it will account for more than a fifth of all retail in the city.