Princes Street in Edinburgh has been struggling with a loss of retail businesses that have left the once popular shopping destination practically deserted.
The loss of giants like the Jenners department store and the British Home Store has been felt across the capital with many shoppers now flocking to the city’s various shopping centres.
And the arrival of St James Quarter, just a stone's throw away from Edinburgh’s most iconic street, has not helped matters as businesses are seen to be moving away from the former prime real estate spot.
In order to see how visitors and residents feel about the issue, we caught up with individuals and families in the city centre.
Tom Muir, 59, stopped to speak with us whilst his wife finished off some shopping inside one of the few stores remaining on Princes Street.
He said: “It is actually quite sad to see Princes Street like this as it used to be a major draw for tourists coming for a shop.
“You notice the loss of places like Jenners and the loss of shops can not be helped with the opening of St James Quarter.”
Alastair and Shona Almond, both 59, visit Edinburgh every few years or so as a short break away from their home in Aberdeen.
They have noticed the decline of Princes Street but noted that derelict high streets were not only found in Edinburgh but across Scotland.
Alastair said: “It is the exact same back home at Union Street in Aberdeen.
“We come to Edinburgh every couple of years or so to get away. You notice there is not a Debenhams, Jenners and no BHS which are huge misses.
“Councils across Scotland are trying to figure out what to do with the empty space. I’ve heard bars and restaurants suggested but in my opinion Edinburgh is already overloaded with them.
“You won’t get the big shops back and it is the same back home. They have all gone to the shopping centres for cheaper rents.
“You are seeing councils pedestrianise city centre spaces during Covid and now some folk are trying to get rid of that as it is tricky for people to go on a shopping trip without a car.
“City centres will continue to struggle.”
Margaret, 68, said that she used to come to Princes Street for the shops when her daughter who is now in her forties was a teen.
She said: “We used to come shopping when my daughter was younger and you could barely move. It was shoulder to shoulder.
“But then there were not the shopping centres that there are today. There was no Fort near us back then.
“Bars and restaurants are everywhere already so they should not replace the lost shops. But it is hard to find somewhere to get your messages in town.”
John Mcintosh, 53, was visiting Edinburgh with his wife from Aberdeen. We caught up with him outside of the Johnnie Walker experience.
He said: “Princes Street used to be a prime site and with that comes prime rents. Companies are now saying sod that.
“They are now saying that they can get a better deal for retail space with better terms and conditions.
“People still want a shop to try on outfits but you notice that they then say I’m not paying that price and go and try to find the item online for cheaper.
“I personally think there are too many food and drink businesses. It is all fads as well. You have a Tex Mex pop-up that works for a while but once the youngsters grow bored of that it is onto the next trend.
“Maybe the future will be bespoke stores. Once a big player takes the plunge and returns then the others will follow.”
Let us know how you feel about the derelict state of Princes Street and what you would like to see done with the vacant units in the city centre in the comments section.
