Inverness’s Eastgate Shopping Centre reports several major UK high street chains have recommitted their futures to the Highland mall following £8.5m of investment in the site in recent years - including HMV, Body Shop, Next, Quiz, Clintons and Card Factory
Several major household names have re-committed their futures to Inverness’s Eastgate Shopping Centre in the wake of £8.5m of investment in the mall - including HMV, Card Factory, Body Shop, Clintons, Next and Quiz.
The news follows a multi-million pound series of enhancements by the centre’s landlords and tenants over the past two years.
This spending has included the arrival and refit of several new or enlarging businesses in the mall, including Sugar in the City, Maeme’s, Lovisa, and Pandora - the latter of which upsized and relocated to a new base opposite HMV.
Other major investment in the past two years has included the Royal Bank of Scotland’s new superhub fronting onto Falcon Square and the successful refit and revamp of the mall’s food court as Scran Kitchen.
Indeed, the food court’s new look has proven an instant hit with customers and retailers like, with businesses reporting a rise in footfall as a result, and the centre’s owners describing its development as being of “notable significance”.
Alongside considerable investment from the landlords, many tenants have also invested in their units, with shop refits undertaken by Chisholm Hunter, Vision Express, H.Samuel, Costa and Pizza Express - with Timpson's and Starbucks also planning refits “in the next few months”.
Elsewhere, The Inverness Courier also revealed this week that major Danish décor and furniture retail giant Søstrene Grene is set to open a new store in the mall in the near future - although the retailer and mall have yet to officially announce the move despite the former listing the address on its website and also advertising for staff.
Eastgate’s owners, Scoop Asset Management, said: “Store refurbishments, relocations, new store openings and upsizing reflect strong confidence in the city centre and a long-term commitment to enhancing the shopping experience”.
Mark Hewett, director at Scoop Asset Management, added: “This programme of investment highlights the scale of our ambition for Eastgate and our confidence in Inverness as a vibrant retail and community destination.
“These upgrades not only improve the overall experience for shoppers, which is reflected in increased footfall in 2023/2024, but also the strength of our relationships with retailers and the commitment to continual improvement across the centre.”
He confirmed that on the back of this “positive activity” a further set of retailers had recently re-committed to Eastgate, including HMV, Card Factory, Body Shop, Clintons, Next and Quiz.
Other recent improvements at the mall have included upgraded car parking technology and in a switch to LED lighting to support Eastgate’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.
For more information, visit www.eastgateshopping.co.uk.