Taylor Swift in Edinburgh: Music icon Taylor Swift gave small Edinburgh record store a big helping hand

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We look back to when Taylor Swift did an Edinburgh shop a big favour

Much has been written about the huge boost Taylor Swift's Edinburgh gigs are giving the local economy – but it’s not the first time the US superstar has given a helping hand.

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In September 2020, when the shop was toiling during lockdown, Assai Records on Grindlay Street received a surprise when they got a ‘very finite’ amount of the singer’s album Folklore.

Believed to be a show of support for independent record stores, a select few shops across the UK also received a delivery of the signed disks.

After announcing the shop had stock of the limited signed CD, copies of the album had sold out in less than two hours, which was a huge shot in the arm for the business during tough times for trading.

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Assai owner Keith Ingram said he only was offered the sleeves by Swift’s record company on Wednesday, September 16, with the delivery arriving the following day.

“The last 24 hours have just been bonkers,” he said. “We’ve had Twitter messages from people all over the world saying they wish they were able to visit the shop and warm wishes about being able to get a signed CD.”

Ingram admitted he had no idea why his shop was chosen, but he was delighted all the same, saying: “They went on sale yesterday about two o’clock and it just went crazy.”

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Swift will step out onto the stage at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on Friday, where she will play three consecutive nights ahead of shows in Liverpool, Cardiff, London and Dublin. The singer will then return to London in August.

The Eras tour, which takes fans on a journey through the different musical stages of Swift's career, has been a juggernaut and is predicted to provide a £997 million boost to the UK economy, according to a report.

Almost 1.2 million fans will spend an average of £848 on tickets, travel, accommodation, outfits and other costs to see the pop superstar at one of the 15 UK tour dates – more than 12 times the average cost of a night out, according to the Barclays Swiftonomics report.

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Eras tour tickets sparked a 15.8% year-on-year increase in UK spending on entertainment when they were released last July.

The average amount spent on an Eras tour ticket is £206, although 14% of fans, including those who bought VIP ticket packages with premium seating and exclusive merchandise, spent more than £400.

It has already grossed more than a billion dollars, the biggest haul for any act ever and has bagged a Guinness World Record.

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