Christmas bargain-hunters packed into the main shopping mall in Inverness on the last weekend before the festive season.
The car park at the Eastgate Shopping Centre filled up rapidly on Saturday and yesterday and the arcade was packed with people looking for gifts for loved ones and enjoying the seasonal atmosphere.
However, independent shopkeepers outside the Eastgate Centre complained of feeling left out in the cold, saying they had seen fewer customers than they would expect on an average weekend at any other time of the year. Traders said they were hoping business would pick up today and tomorrow.
Eastgate manager Jackie Cuddy said: “The centre is packed. It’s very, very busy and it has been like that from early on both Saturday and Sunday.
“Retailers are reporting that sales are good.”
She said about 2,000 gifts for underprivileged children across the Highlands had been donated at the centre’s giving tree and the proceeds from Santa’s grotto will go to the ARCHIE Foundation.
Ms Cuddy said traders were expecting another very busy day on Boxing Day, when Next will be open from 6am and Debenhams from 7am, with most of the other shops opening at 9am. She said: “Every year Boxing Day surpasses the previous year so it will be interesting to see what happens.”
However, her optimism was not shared by shopkeepers in the city’s Victorian Market. Brian Peach, of the Victorian Gift Shop, said: “We’ve been very quiet this weekend and the other businesses here are saying the same. It’s not as good as previous years.
“I think internet shopping and the lack of parking are taking their toll on the independents. The empty shops in the city centre have a lot to do with it too. It doesn’t provide the bustling atmosphere that people are looking for.”
Meanwhile, in Oban, Graham Fraser, who owns Alba The Artshop in Albany Street, said: “It has been ticking over quite nicely. We are nearly sold out of Christmas cards. All the doom and gloom that has been spread about sending Christmas cards has been completely ignored.”