Traders have all but wiped out a grants scheme aimed at bringing Union Street back to life – with an extra £500,000 now injected to “maintain momentum”.
The project was launched last year in hope of finding new takers for the dozens of vacant shops lining the Granite Mile.
It encourages traders onto the street by offering certain perks, like cash to refurbish empty stores.
The fund was initially set out to cover support grants until the end of 2025.
However, the scheme has proven so popular that council chiefs have now decided to top it up with another half a million.
What exactly does the scheme offer?
If approved, traders can get up to £35,000 to refurbish the empty unit and bring it back into use.
This could be for hospitality, retail, arts or office space.
Four businesses have already benefitted from the initiative, with one saying she wouldn’t have been able to take on the new venture without this cash boost.
They are:
- German Doner Kebab at 118 Union Street
- The TAG Heuer watch shop at number 132
- The Lolo and Co clothes shop aiming to take on 226 Union Street
- And the Cup coffee shop at number 474
And SNP finance convener Alex McLellan has now revealed that 65 businesses expressed an interest in the grants last year.
Eight more applications have arrived in the last two months.
Mr McLellan added: “If approved, total allocation will rise to about £420,000 and the scheme’s funds will be all but empty.”
How are lucky traders boosting Union Street?
Mr McLellan went on to highlight the success of the project, which has resulted in four new businesses opening up on Union Street.
Just a few weeks ago, owner of the Cup cafe on Little Belmont Street, Angela Bradbrook launched a new venue at the top of the Granite Mile.
She said 474 by Cup will offer “something different” to the west end of the street, where there is a “really good vibe” for local businesses.
It had been lying empty since the Aberdeen Whisky Shop expanded into a bigger premises next door.
German Doner Kebab, which has been going from strength to strength since opening last November, is also one of the companies benefitting from public cash.
The space had been empty since Molton Brown shut in 2020.
The council’s scheme was also a welcome boost for Rose and Lauren Reid who had been looking to move their fashion boutique Lolo and Co to a more central spot.
The mother-and-daughter duo has now taken over 226 Union Street premises which was previously a vape shop, and a TSB prior to that.
And the once disused shop on the corner of Union Street and Belmont Street has become home to Aberdeen’s first TAG Heuer boutique.
It had been empty for some time.
Family-run jewellers Jamieson and Carry are also expanding into the former All Saints unit right across, converting the disused space into a specialist Rolex store.
You can keep updated with the latest city centre openings and closures using our tracker.
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