EE is today opening a new Experience Local store in Elgin, northeast Scotland, just months after the sudden closure of the St Giles Centre left it and 14 other businesses looking for a new home. The first-of-its-kind tech hub in Scotland is returning to a permanent premises in the town’s high street, including an in-store pop-up designed to help traders displaced by the St Giles Centre closure.
In January, 15 businesses, including EE, had to abandon their outlets at short notice and, nine months on, only four have relocated. Many have been unable to afford the cost of leasing new premises in the town and have become online-only businesses, losing contact with the community.
Following the St Giles Centre closure, EE opened a temporary mobile truck stationed in the town centre to continue to serve the Elgin community. Now, it is opening the doors to a cutting-edge Experience Local store – the first of its kind in Scotland – inviting the local community to get hands-on with the latest connected tech launches and receive expert advice from EE Guides. The store is part of EE’s revamped retail strategy, which places innovation, personalised experiences and community initiatives at the core of its activity on the UK high street.
In solidarity with the small businesses yet to find a new home, the brand-new EE Experience Local store will offer entrepreneurs the opportunity to reconnect with the local community in person through the ‘Elgin Retail Revival’ display cart. The dedicated space inside the store will allow displaced businesses to showcase their products for one weekend every month throughout the important run-up to Christmas.
Asif Aziz, retail director at EE, said: “We’ve been working hard to give the people of Elgin a permanent destination for their tech needs, and I’m pleased to say our new store is better than anything that’s gone before. We’ve been operating out of a temporary truck in the town centre to maintain our presence for the community, so we thought it only fitting that we extend that same lifeline to others.”
Smadug, a Scottish-inspired clothing brand that was based in the St Giles Centre before moving online, will be the first small business to take over the special concession from today through to tomorrow (11th October). Following them, stone candle crafting brand Covesea Candles will occupy the pop-up in November (29th). December’s business will be announced in the coming weeks.
Sharon Davidson, owner of Smadug, said: “When the St Giles Centre closed in January, it was heartbreaking for local retailers and meant many of us lost a real connection to the Elgin community. The in-person retail experience is so important to us because it allows customers to feel the quality of our products, something that’s hard to convey online. We’re thrilled to return to the high street this weekend and be the first resident of EE’s ‘Elgin Retail Revival’ so we can share what we’ve been working on over the past year.”
Alongside supporting Elgin traders, the new Experience Local store will act as a tech hub for the community, with expert Guides available to offer advice on a wide range of connected technologies, including smartphone safety for young people. The vibrant space is part of EE’s commitment to build back better in a way that benefits Elgin’s town centre.
The Elgin store launch follows EE’s Experience store opening in Glasgow last week, marking the first of its kind in Scotland. Both openings in Elgin and Glasgow are part of EE’s £3 million investment in brick-and-mortar retail this year, as it expands the experiential format across the UK and invests in the high street.
