Fashion giant to open huge new flagship store in Scottish shopping centre

The 70,000-square-foot store will open late next spring in Dundee’s Overgate Centre, which Frasers bought in March 2023. That deal, thought to be worth £30 million, made Frasers landlord to several of its retailing competitors.

The group owns Sports Direct, House of Fraser, and a collection of other brands such as GAME, Jack Wills, Sofa.com, Evans Cycle, USC, and Everlast. The new “next-generation” Frasers will feature a number of these brands.

Read Kristy Dorsey’s story here

Plans for more than 300 new homes on site of former school

Proposals for more than 300 new homes on the site of a former school have been brought forward.

The documents have been lodged (Image: Getty Images) The £70 million-plus plan would bring a new neighbourhood to the site of the former secondary school.

The site at Greendykes Road in Edinburgh covers the now-demolished Castlebrae High School and playing fields. City of Edinburgh Council lodged a prior information notice around the project.

Read Brian Donnelly’s story here 

Businessmen bid to bring back to life ‘prime’ shopping location

Two businessmen aim to bring back to life a “prime shopping location” in an Ayrshire town which previously housed a local Co-op store.

The site (Image: Downie and McIvor Capital) Ayrshire businessmen Gareth Downie, managing director of Downie Capital, and Paul McIvor, managing director of AQS, have joined forces in what is described as “an ambitious scheme to transform the 19,000 sq ft former Co-op outlet” at Galston in East Ayrshire.

Subject to planning permission, for which an application was submitted in mid-September, the project, run by Downie and McIvor Capital, would see the opening of a new outlet of Farmfoods, the Scottish frozen food and grocery business.

Read Ian McConnell’s story here 

BUSINESS HQ MONTHLY

Turn old Glasgow offices into homes, property veterans say

Two of the best-known figures on the Scottish commercial property scene have signalled hope that a brighter future can be secured for Glasgow’s ageing office stock, as debate continues to rage over how best to reverse the declining fortunes of the city centre.

Scott Wright’s article appeared in Business HQ Monthly

The article appeared in the new edition of Business HQ Monthly (Image: Colin Mearns)

Andy Cunningham and Colin Mackenzie, former rivals who linked up to launch Glasgow agency MC2 earlier this year, say moves to transform post-war office blocks into smaller, flexible spaces with interior designs more akin to hotels and homes are breathing new life into older buildings in the city.

They say the trend of re-purposing older properties could underpin ambitions to encourage more people to live in Glasgow city centre, with many buildings ripe for conversion into residential use.