The owner of Aberdeen independent store Books and Beans welcomes any moves to bring more shoppers into the city centre.
Craig Willox’s venture in Belmont Street is a combination of an internet cafe, coffee shop and second-hand bookstore.
The 47-year-old, who hails from Peterhead, set up Books and Beans in 2003 and employs 15 people in a mix of full-time and part-time posts.
He reported that the trading environment in the city centre was getting slightly better following the negative impact of the oil industry downturn.
“I think confidence has been improving these last few months with the upturn in the oil price, and anything that brings people into the city centre has to be welcomed.
“There is no question that events such as the Great Aberdeen Run are good for footfall. For example, our sales on the Sunday of the run last year were up 20% on the same day the year previously.” Mr Willox, a former operations manager at Hilton Coylumbridge, also said the Granite City Comic Con has been a big success for his business.
“The Granite City Comic Con works well for us. We have attended it as a bookstore – moving 4,000 books up to the event along with a dozen bookcases.
“It’s good to meet lots of new customers and potential regulars and also to sell a few books, comics and novels in the process.”