Popular Leith bookshop blasts council for being 'asleep at the wheel' over tram situation as summer sales drop
After the council announced plans to resume trams on the last day of the Fringe, the book store said it and other Leith businesses had “missed the whole thing”
A popular independent bookshop in Leith has accused Edinburgh council of being “asleep at the wheel” in the aftermath of the Princes Street fire, as figures revealed a 35 per cent drop in sales compared to Fringe season last August.
Argonaut Books on Leith Walk said like other businesses in the area it had felt “woefully undersupported and underinformed” by the council over the ongoing tram suspension, which has cut off much of the north of the city during the busiest month of the year.
The business warned of the “knock-on” effects of the sharp drop in footfall beyond August, which means the store is pressing pause on the hiring of new staff and some “exciting plans” it had for the coming months.
Posting its sale figures on Instagram, staff at the book store said: “In what should be the busiest non-December period, we have performed worse than the average month.
“Wages, stock costs and business rates are significantly higher than in previous years.”
They continued: “This month every two out of three sales has been from a regular customer. For sake of comparison, a previous festival month would be 40 to 50 per cent returning.
“The lack of tram access has essentially prevented hundreds of potential new readers from reaching Leith.
“All that to say, the damage has already been done. We are extremely privileged to have supportive, engaged community of readers and all of you have without a doubt helped us weather yet another council disaster.”
They added: “We really should be able to expect better from our elected representatives but we have been numbed by years of poorer and poorer service every year.”
The comments come after several hospitality businesses in Leith spoke out last week about the stark drop in footfall since the fire on Princes Street on July 9.
Several cafés on the tram line which rely on the influx of tourists in the summer months said they had been “empty” while bars and restaurants said international payments had been down across the board.
The council announced last week part of the £5 million support package provided by the Scottish Government would be used to incentivise people to spend in Leith, including through a discount scheme similar to the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ campaign introduced during the Covid lockdown.
Council leader Jane Meagher confirmed plans are on track to reopen Princes Street by the end of the month.
She said: “Undoubtedly, this has been an incredibly difficult chapter for the city – particularly for those businesses on the northern end of the tram line.
“We’ve been doing everything within our power to make sure Princes Street can reopen as soon as it’s safe to do so, and we remain hopeful that this will be by the end of this month.
“In the meantime, we’re continuing to work closely alongside Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams to minimise disruption across the network.
“This period has further underlined the critical importance and popularity of our tram network, not just to the north of the city but to the whole of Edinburgh.
“Whilst their return will be most welcome, we need to consider how we can properly safeguard this vital service to meet the needs and challenges of our growing city.
“Since the first days of the fire, we’ve worked closely with our partners to communicate how this incident is affecting the city, with a dedicated Council webpage and updates as often as they are available across our channels.
“For businesses in Leith and Newhaven, we’re also rolling out our More By The Shore campaign which will provide support through the coming months and into the winter festive period.
“Council officers have also been out visiting premises in the area to explain how the campaign will work and listen to feedback. This will continue in the coming weeks, alongside holding virtual briefings and issuing letters to businesses.
“The complexity of the works being carried out cannot be understated, with stonework and debris being removed largely by hand by specialist engineers. Throughout the closure, the safety of the public has been our highest priority.
“My thanks again goes to all those involved in the ongoing response to the fire, and to the public for their continued patience and understanding.”