“Nothing can match being in a shop, browsing what they have and discovering the perfect thing you need – even if you didn’t know you wanted it…”
Aberdeen city centre champion Kate Timperley is offering her thoughts on the success of the popular Shop Aberdeen initiative – which is now poised to make a comeback.
Last October, retailers joined forces to put on a weekend of deals aimed at enticing visitors into bricks and mortar stores at a tough time for traders.
It came following various closures, and the still-ongoing row about bus gates deterring people from visiting the heart of Aberdeen.
Now, bargain hunters are being urged to clear a spot in their calendar for the upcoming return…
And a call has gone out to business owners looking to take part.
Shop Aberdeen comeback in April will ‘drive people into actual stores’
Decathlon, at Union Square, was one of the shops which joined the initiative last time.
Customer service boss at the sports store, Jenni Halminen, said they had “a lot of people coming in” to peruse the deals.
She hopes the sequel will bring in more “new faces that perhaps didn’t know Decathlon was here”.
The worker added: “It will help other shops in Aberdeen as well. It will drive their customer base from online to the actual stores.”
Shop Aberdeen return date confirmed for April
The next Shop Aberdeen weekend will run from Thursday, April 24, to Sunday, April 27.
There will be “unique offers” to draw customers in.
More than 50 premises took part last time, with the event hailed for helping to boost city centre footfall by 12%.
Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired, said: “Shops taking part were singing the praises of the business it brought through their door.”
Hopes that next event could have a ‘festival atmosphere’
And Kate Timperley, project manager with Aberdeen Inspired, added: “I would urge as many retailers as possible to be part of this special event.
“The more enticing the offers the more customers will be attracted into the city centre helping create a busy, buzzing atmosphere.”
There are hopes that fashion shows or live music events could be arranged to create a “festival atmosphere” for the forthcoming Shop Aberdeen in April.
She added: “Hopefully that joy will extend well beyond the four days of Shop Aberdeen and give our traders a boost that lasts all year round.”
If you are a business and want to be part of Shop Aberdeen, you can find out more and sign up here.
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