Ramsdens may have 170 stores nationwide, but chief executive Peter Kenyon has revealed he was truly in uncharted territory following the shock closure of the St Giles Shopping Centre.
The Elgin mall was closed in January after the owner pulled the plug amidst crippling debts.
Businesses were given less than two weeks to vacant the building and find new premises with many left homeless in the process.
Mr Kenyon has nearly 20 years experience leading the firm, but says he has never experienced anything like the events that unfolded.
The business had been in the shopping centre for 15 years but had been given less than 14 days to get out.
Less than three months later, Ramsdens is the first national chain from the St Giles Centre to establish a permanent new home in Elgin.
Mr Kenyon said: “We’ve got 170 stores and bought and sold a few in between and have never experienced something like this.
“Usually the landlord goes into admistration and then the administrator seeks to find a buyer.
“Usually the shops are unaffected and just continue and debts are sorted out.
“Obviously on this occasion, the landlord and council have absolutely fallen out and the landlord has now filed for liquidation.”
He added: “We told the staff very early on that was our intention was to stay, so they were quite relieved.
“We’ve built a good solid business up over the 15 years we have been in Elgin.
“Yes, we had been always looking to stay.”
Opening new store on Batchen Street
It was a rapid response to the St Giles Centre crisis as Mr Kenyon travelled up to Elgin from Middlesbrough in the north of England on a mission to find a new store.
In the meantime. staff were relocated to the Inverness shop.
For Mr Kenyon, the new store was always going to have a town centre spot.
Last month, they opened up in new premises at 12 Batchen Street, which was previously home to the LCTG hairdressers.
He said: “The new store had to be in the town centre.
“We’re a community business which serves the people within the towns that we operate in.
“I went up myself to Elgin as a decision had to be made quickly.
“Having the bus station nearby and where people walked was a big factor.
“We had a good look at the town, considering where footfall might move to.”
He added: “Also, people often come out at the Poundland side of the High Street so it was key to have it nearby.
“The unit on Batchen Street happened to be vacant, and it worked for us in terms of the space it offered and our ability to deliver our services.
“It is bigger store than the last one, which is great too.”
On adding something different to Batchen Street
Batchen Street continues to be hailed as a roaring success in Elgin with its strong offering of cafes and shops.
How then might a national pawnbroker fit in alongside the existing traders?
Mr Kenyon added: “While I think Batchen Street leans more toward coffee shops than retail, with just a few small retailers, I believe we’ve got a strong customer offering that will hopefully draw people down the street to see what we have in store.
“The new store is bright and modern—the lights will be shining, and there’ll be a friendly face inside.
“Also it is great to breathe new life into the shop.”
He has thanked CCL Property for help.
Ramsdens did consider High Street move
Mr Kenyon revealed Ramsdens had conisdered moving from the St Giles Centre to the Elgin High Street in the past.
He said: “We did look at potentially looking on the High Street around two to three years ago.
“We were tucked in a corner in the St Giles and the centre had lost some tenants.
“However, we still had a lot of loyal customers that came to us in the corner.
“So if you like, we didn’t necessarily need to move onto the High Street.
“Over the first few weeks of opening the new store, I have been extremely pleased with the performance.
“At the end of the day, we want to be where people are.”
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