A once prominent market town, Dumfries has suffered due to its location far from the nearest motorway. This relative exclusion has bound the community tighter however, and there is a real sense of togetherness in the town. It’s once vibrant town centre has been decimated however, with charity shops and pound shops taking the places once proudly occupied by local businesses. This began in the 1980s when a by-pass opened, and there are now two huge shopping malls on either side of the town – each of which can lay claim to a Tesco Extra.
However, the proliferation of shops on the fringes of the town hasn’t detracted one major retailer. Just last month Debenhams opened a new store in the town, which has raised a lot of eyebrows.
“At the moment, people are using the shopping centres or driving to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Carlisle and Newcastle,” says local retailer Glyn Violet. Glyn has run his Lochfield Stores shop for over 16 years.
As SLR mulls over the reasons for Debenhams’ decision to open with Glyn, a regular customer, Billy, arrives to buy his morning newspapers, and offers his own thoughts. “It’s bringing life back into the town centre, and that will bring other businesses with it.”
However, while major retailers struggle, local retailers seem to be in abundance. A drive through the town will see Spar and Premier fascias dotted around while there are a number of unaffiliated CTNs, almost all of which carry local newspaper, The Dumfries & Galloway Standard, fascia.
“I’ve no complaints with the way my business is performing,” says Glyn, who joined Premier five years ago. “People are looking for deals a lot more however, and I’m beginning to see a lot more sales around promotions.”
Dumfries is one town which may be hit by cross border trading when Minimum Unit Pricing is introduced, however since the clampdown on promotions in the Alcohol Act, there has been little difference. Local retailer Ewan Fraser says, “Around 40% of our sales are off-trade, and I haven’t noticed a dip at all. I do think there is a chance of people driving over the border when minimum pricing comes in.”
Spar Georgetown
Sheila Muir
There are three Spar stores in Dumfries, and one of them lies to the south east of the town centre, in a relatively affluent part of town. The store is company-owned by CJ Lang, and managed by Sheila Muir, a position she has held for the last three years – having worked in the store for a total of eight years.
“The shop is doing well at the moment, but the same can’t be said for the town centre,” says Sheila.
Like her fellow retailers she’s quick to mention the opening of Debenhams as a possible shot in the arm that is badly needed in the centre of town.
“Obviously we continue to have competition from the supermarkets – particular the two Tescos in the shopping centres on either side of the town.”
And this is a problem that will be familiar to local retailers across the country. A town with a once busy town centre has seen it fall to near ruin due to the opening of shopping centres on the verges of these towns.
Thankfully, for community based retailers like Sheila, the repercussions are felt less. “We continue to grow and this year there’s been a big increase in our chilled and fresh offering, while meal deals are becoming increasingly popular with people visiting the supermarkets less frequently.”
In addition to a £3 lunch deal, the store offers an evening meal solution to feed a family of four for £6.
“This is a community store at heart, we’ve got regulars who can be in the store three times a day. Those are the customers we look to retain and have relationships with,” says Sheila.
Premier Hardthorn Stores
Ewan Fraser
Ewan Fraser is what you might call a veteran retailer. He’s owned and managed Premier Hardthorn Stores for 43 years. He first began working in retail at 17, and soon after bought the Hardthorn Store (which was unaffiliated until just three years ago), so he’s in as good position as anyone to take a look at the fortunes of his town. “I would say the Debenhams has given the town a boost, customers are talking about it – but even then it might impact what little local traders are left. I still think it’s a good thing as the town centre has become full of charity shops and pound shops.”
Based just five minutes drive from the town centre, Ewan can keep a watchful eye on proceedings there, without feeling much of an impact himself. “We’ve been lucky enough that a new doctor’s surgery is being built across the road, so there’s workmen streaming in, and when the surgery opens that will also bring more business. Now, I’m not saying we’ll get 16,000 new customers, but I’m hopeful we’ll get a wee boost.”
Ewan is a man clearly happy with his lot in life. He has a second store on the outskirts of town, which he has owned for 28 years, while he spent much of career running a mobile shop in tandem with his two stores. So why take the decision to join Premier?
“Well, Booker is just a quarter of a mile away, so it’s my local store, and I use it all the time. I was talked into signing up, and I’ve no regrets. The promotions are great, and the leaflet drops definitely bring in customers.”
Ewan admits that retirement has crossed his mind, but for now he is forging on, and is determined to continue growing his business. “Sales are increasing, we’re selling more cigarettes as people don’t like to queue for them in Tesco, and our off-trade sales are also growing.”
