One of Aberdeen’s oldest high street shops is to shut down, bosses have confirmed.
Clarks, which has been on Union Street in the Granite City since the early 1970s, has decided to close the branch and focus on its other store at Union Square.
It is not clear if any jobs will be lost.
Aberdeen City Council has now granted permission for the unit to be turned into a restaurant and takeaway, although an occupier has not yet been chosen.
Clarks secured its place as a household name in the last 30 years and was a popular choice for parents preparing their children for the start of the school year – particularly due to its unique foot-measuring service.
However, company chiefs have decided not to renew the lease of the branch.
Ryden, which handled the change-of-use application to the council, wrote a report which said: “Our client purchased 123 Union Street in June and immediately offered Clarks, as the existing tenant, the opportunity to renew their lease when it expires on November 10 2019.
“Despite being offered a significantly reduced rent, Clarks was not willing to accept due to a decision to consolidate their existing store at the Union Square shopping complex.
“As such, our client immediately placed the premises on the market to let having agreed with Clarks, if a tenant was secured, it would have the opportunity to surrender their lease prior to November 10.”
It is believed Clarks is the fourth-oldest surviving shop on Union Street after Jamieson and Carry, Charles Michie’s pharmacy and RS McColl.
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A Clarks spokesman said: ““At Clarks, we continually review all of our stores to ensure that they are the right size and located in the right areas in order to provide the best possible offering and environment to our customers.
“After opening in the early 1970s, we have since decided not to renew the lease on our store at 123 Union Street and as such, the store will cease trading in November 2019.
“We have a strong duty of care to our employees and we are doing everything we can to minimise the impact on our colleagues.
“We can confirm that we have been able to accommodate all store staff requests who wish to remain with Clarks at our other Aberdeen store in Union Square.
“Customers can continue to shop from our full range of products online and at our nearby stores in and around Aberdeen.”
In a report granting permission, the council said nobody objected to the application.
It added: “The proposed restaurant would be a commercial leisure use, compliant with the vision of the city centre as envisioned by the city centre masterplan.”
Michael Lorimer of Ryden said: “We welcome the recent approval of the application for change of use to a new restaurant, which aims to maintain an active and appropriate use for the existing unit on Union Street and create new jobs.”
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