A new space hosting female-led retail brands has opened on Edinburgh’s George Street.
This is the first move by egg, Scotland’s largest online and offline platform for women, to create its own physical space.
The community of more than 65,000 women, launched by Kylie Reid in 2017, aims to encourage female-led collaborations.
And after identifying a gap in the market and carrying out 12 months of development, egg launched its new website last week - Scotland's first searchable, review-led platform for women, helping them find trusted recommendations for everything from lawyers to landscapers. In addition, the digital egg card gives members access to discounts for more than 200 businesses in the area.
On Saturday, egg & co opened the doors to its 7,000 sq ft space at 51 George Street, on the former site of Laura Ashley and more recently home to the Scottish Design Exchange.
Among the female-led, Scottish brands that will be present are: the Tartan Blanket Company; Snag Tights; Fruit Salad Flowers; Beira; and Rare Birds Books.
Coulters estate agency, the main sponsors of the new egg & co space, will also be there to help with housing and mortgage enquiries. Drip coffee is available, with regular networking, speaker events and yoga sessions.
Egg also recently partnered with Appointedd, the Edinburgh-based online booking platform led by Scottish entrepreneur Leah Hutcheon. The agreement means egg users can source and book appointments online any time of the day or week without leaving its newly-developed website.
'Head egg' Kylie Reid said: “We’ve built a massive and loyal female following of more than 65,000 women across egg in Scotland over the past few years and established a network of 35,000 engaging and supportive women in Edinburgh alone.
“We’ve spent a year developing a new website to reflect this by creating a new online directory of businesses and services, many of which can be booked direct using Appointedd’s booking platform.
“I’m so excited to be taking our predominantly online community to the next stage with the launch of egg & co and its first physical presence in the centre of the Scottish capital on George Street.
“I also believe that the opening of egg & co represents the changing face of our high street which is shifting to offering experiences alongside retail.”
Reid added that egg has already helped transform many Scottish businesses by boosting their customer bases, giving the example of The Brow Bar beauty salon in Edinburgh.
Jenny Robertson, owner of The Brow Bar, said: “By being featured and promoted on egg, we’ve managed to vastly expand our business and attract new customers from its community who then recommend us to their contacts.
“It’s great to see egg take its offering to the next stage through its partnership with Appointedd and its presence on George Street.”
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