Rental shop Must Have Dresses in Aberdeen’s Rosemount has closed.
The store, founded by Vish Archer, was among the first to bring high end frocks for rent to the Granite City.
But Ms Archer has now decided to focus on online trading and transfer her business to Glasgow in a bid to reach a larger market.
Must Have Dresses first opened in October 2019 but was forced to close its doors due to the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020.
Ms Archer was able to reopen in October last year but further restrictions had an impact on business with many social gatherings cancelled.
Lack of parties and social events hit business
She said: “Most of our business came from parties and events but with Covid restrictions there was not much happening.
“I thought moving to Glasgow would be better for the business because I’d have a bigger market but I’ll still continue online.
“I’ve had some regular customers say they are disappointed and it is disappointing but it seems to be the way the high street is going. Everything is moving online.
“My customers can still get in touch and hire.”
Ms Archer’s stock will be transferred to Glasgow where her products will be available to people who want to dress up across the UK.
Expanding business with Glasgow move
She said: “The company has a warehouse and they do lots of rental hire across Scotland working with some big names in the business.
“It’s very professional and on a large-scale. It’ll be like a central unit and whenever an order comes in it’ll go from there.
“The shop was ok at the time but because I’m getting more clothes all the time I thought it was better to get a bigger space.
“It’ll be much better for me to go to Glasgow and cover the whole of the UK.
“And with restrictions eased I expect it to get busier.”
‘Want shops to stay in Rosemount’
Midstocket councillor Bill Cormie said the closure of any shop in the area was “sad” and hoped Ms Archer would consider reopening in the future.
He said: “It’s sad to hear about any shop closing in Rosemount. The high street is different to how it used to be.
“Obviously a dress hire shop, sadly given the Covid regulations, hasn’t been so busy with no functions going ahead.
“We want to see shops staying open in Rosemount and not moving elsewhere.
“Hopefully it’s something that may be considered in the future.”
The rental dress market was given a significant boost when Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s wife Carrie Symonds wore a rented dress to their wedding in June last year.
Ms Archer said: “It’s great thing that she’s promoting sustainable fashion.”