Shops forced to close on Saturday before Christmas as St James Centre hit by power cut

Most shops and restaurants were forced to close on Saturday afternoon at St James Quarter after the centre was hit by a power cut.

A power cut which is understood to have lasted around twenty minutes at the complex saw all main shops closed and in darkness. The escalators also came to a halt.

One shopper said everywhere was ‘in darkness’ around 1.40 pm on Saturday, except John Lewis. Power was back up and running by around 2pm the centre confirmed. But many shops including Boots were still dark and locked up around 2.30 pm.

Some shoppers took to social media to express disappointment at the closures. One Edinburgh woman said: “Power cut at Edinburgh St James Quarter, shops in darkness and escalators stopped!! On the last Saturday before Christmas! Oh dear..!”

Photo: John Devlin

Vietnamese street food restaurant Pho apologised to customers on Twitter for having to close due to ‘power issues’. But said they were working to resolve it quickly.

A spokesperson for St James Quarter, said: “A power outage occurred at St James Quarter this afternoon however, this was quickly resolved, and retailers are now open. We are currently establishing the cause.

“Providing the best experience for our guests is our top priority and we’d like to thank them for their patience as our team carried out the necessary works to restore power at The Quarter."