Fore Play Crazy Golf is looking to open a new home of golf in a sought-after location in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket.
The successful crazy golf concept which currently operates out of Picardy Place on a temporary basis in the city has submitted planning applications to Edinburgh City Council for a 9,139 sq ft A listed building on a mixed-use license.
The new three-floor venue would accommodate up to 200 guests and bring at least 30 new jobs if successful.
Proposed plans include a multi-level experience-led playground for grown-ups featuring two courses, street food vendors, and inventive drinks that capture the brand’s playful energy with competitive socialising lying at the heart of the sympathetic renovations.
The independent venue would require a significant investment from the owners and their vision looks to encapsulate the vibrancy of the neighbourhood with local landmarks inspiring the plans for their imaginative crazy golf courses.
A provisional opening date has been set for summer 2022.
Craig Neilson, Chief Greenkeeper at Fore Play Crazy Golfsaid: “We love Edinburgh and ever since we opened our first temporary venue in 2020, we’ve been looking for the perfect venue to call home.
“1 Grassmarket has been lying empty for three years and when we clapped eyes on the 19th century Listed building we knew we wanted to create something special for the community to be proud of.
“The sense of place in the Grassmarket has been intrinsic to our development plans and we feel that our immersive venue will benefit those in the surrounding areas.
“We are looking forward to hearing from the council on our applications.”
Fore Play Crazy Golf is an independent Scottish business and is a Living Wage Accredited Employer and has a profit share model for its staff.
Virgin Red will match points earned on train travel and donate them to its 13 charity partners
Virgin Red will match all Virgin Points earned with Virgin Trains Ticketing in December and donate them to its 13 charity partners
Hundreds of thousands of Virgin Points are expected to be earned by Virgin Red’s members as the nation reconnects with loved ones this Christmas
Virgin Red members receive three points for every £1 spent on train travel with Virgin Trains Ticketing – meaning they can reward themselves with a Christmas treat too.
As the nation prepares to reunite with family and friends this December after last year’s festivities were cancelled, Virgin Red predicts a bumper month of train travel this December.
Members of Virgin Red, Virgin’s rewards programme, can earn up to three Virgin Points for every £1 spent on train tickets with Virgin Trains Ticketing – and this December, Virgin Red will match all points earned on train tickets and gift them to its 13 partner charities as a cash donation. With Virgin Trains Ticketing, travellers won’t see any booking fees on e-tickets either.
With UK train journeys costing between 5.5p to 34p a mile* Virgin Red is giving travellers an extra reward for heading home and reconnecting with friends and family by delivering much-needed support for charities across the country, many of whom have seen donations dip post pandemic.
Andrea Burchett, International and Strategic Development Director, says: “Travelling by train this Christmas really is rewarding with Virgin Red – not only will members receive points which they could use for a little Christmas treat for themselves, they’re also helping those less fortunate as Virgin Red matches and donates the Virgin Points earned from train tickets to its 13 charity partners.
“If it wasn’t enough reason to reconnect with our friends and family, earning points for every ticket bought and seeing those points matched and donated to charity, really means there has never been a better time to travel by train. And remember, with Virgin Trains Ticketing, there are no booking fees!”
Virgin Red rewards come in all shapes and sizes, from the small things that make the everyday better, to awesome extraordinary experiences, and it’s super easy to earn points, too with members earning Virgin Points just for doing their shopping online via Virgin Red.
It’s also really easy to boost your Virgin Points balance to enjoy rewards with Virgin Trains Ticketing. For example, as of 30 November 2021:
An off-peak return from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly over a weekend (£94.50) will accrue 284 Virgin Points.
An off-peak return from London Victoria to Brighton over a weekend (£39.60) will secure 119 Virgin Points.
An off-peak return from Manchester Piccadilly to Edinburgh Waverley over a weekend (£86.90) will collect 261 Virgin Points.
December 2020 saw Childline deliver a record number of counselling sessions across the UK for a single month*
NSPCC launches its ‘Here for Children’ TV Christmas Appeal
On 21st December, NSPCC supporters will take to the streets to walk 5K so the NSPCC can be here for children this Christmas, as landmarks across the UK, including the Glasgow Science Centre and the Camera Obscura in Edinburgh, light up green in support of the charity
The NSPCC-run service Childline, which has bases in Aberdeen and Glasgow, can today reveal the service delivered a record number of almost 600 monthly sessions about this concern to children across the UK last December.
From April 2020 to March 2021 there were 6,039 counselling sessions about loneliness with children from across the UK, marking an all-time high for a single year. This is an increase of nearly half (49%) over the past four years.
The NSPCC has long highlighted that many children and young people struggle with loneliness and isolation. The data released today suggests that these feelings were exacerbated during the pandemic, as schools were closed, and they were forced to stay at home. Children shared with Childline’s counsellors that these experiences were particularly acute over the festive period, as households were unable to mix.
Dame Esther Rantzen, Founder of Childline said: “At Childline we know how painful Christmas can be for some children, particularly when the media is filled with pictures of families happily celebrating together, and they are feeling alone and unloved. A child once described it to us as like looking through a shop window where everything inside is warm and bright, and you are outside where it’s cold and dark.
“The festive period can be especially difficult for children who are struggling with their mental health or are in homes that are unsafe. Given the impact of the pandemic, it is no surprise that this year we’ve seen record numbers of children from across the UK get in touch with us about loneliness.
“The lockdowns exacerbated these feelings for some young people, especially when schools had to close, and they couldn’t see the friends and family they loved and needed.
“Last Christmas was one of the toughest in living memory, bringing with it great sadness and challenges for many children. And we want to remind children in Scotland who are struggling or feeling alone that our Childline counsellors, working from bases across the UK including Glasgow and Aberdeen, are there for them whenever they need to talk to someone, and that they can contact us by phone or on-line, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.”
Young people who contacted Childline about loneliness also talked about being unhappy, feeling unloved and generally low. Some described it as a dark experience that was overwhelming. As well as loneliness, the top reasons children turn to the service for support with their mental health include anxiety and stress, low mood, and depression.
Childline is staffed by 1,200 Childline volunteer counsellors across the UK and last month celebrated its 35th birthday.
A 14-year-old boy from Scotland told a Childline counsellor:“I self-harmed a couple of days ago after being clean for a year and it triggered a panic attack. I think I self-harmed because I felt lonely and bored.
“I just don’t know what to do anymore and really regret what I have done. I am bored with life and am lonely because I don’t get to see anyone because of COVID. I don’t have the energy to arrange to meet up with anyone.”
In response to concerns about children this Christmas, the NSPCC has launched its ‘Here for Children’ TV Christmas Appeal. The advert sees Childline counsellors taking calls at Christmas from children struggling with loneliness and isolation, suicidal thoughts and feelings and physical abuse.
Christmas can be a very challenging time for children who suffer from abuse, neglect and are struggling with their mental health. Cut off from school and other support, it is vital they have somewhere to turn.
The NSPCC is reaching out to the public to support its Here for Children Appeal and make a donation, so Childline counsellors can answer a child’s call for help this Christmas.
Despite the challenges of the past 18 months, as well as seeking support from Childline counsellors, young people accessed Childline online resources, information, and tools to support their mental health in ways and at times that were most convenient and helpful to them.
Childline saw huge increases in the number of young people using the website to access information, advice and resources.
On the 21st December, which is the longest night of the year, hundreds of people will walk 5K to support the NSPCC.
On this night, landmarks across the UK, including Glasgow Science Centre and the Camera Obscura in Edinburgh, are also supporting the charity by lighting up and turning the NSPCC’s trademark green colour. The people taking to the streets to walk and the landmarks lighting up green represent the hard-working Childline counsellors who are there for children, offering a beacon of light in their darkest times.
The Childline service is here for children every day, even on Christmas Day.
Children can contact Childline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. When a child needs help, Childline can be a lifeline. When a child feels like they have nowhere else to turn to, it’s vital that the NSPCC is here, ready to listen and support children across the UK.
Three men have been sentenced following armed robberies at jewellery shops in Leith (August 2019) and Dundee (in September 2019).
Dean King (above), 28, Anthony Wheeldon, 40, and Connor Willis, 24, had pled guilty in October 2021 of the raid at the Walker shop in Union Street in Dundee. Willis had also admitted his part in a raid on a jewellers in Great Junction Street in Edinburgh.
At the High Court in Edinburgh King was sentenced to nine years and two months and Wheeldon to 11 years plus four years on licence. Willis was sentenced for both robberies to 12 years plus five years on licence.
Detective Inspector Bob Campbell, the senior investigating officer for the robbery in Edinburgh, said: “We welcome this sentencing. Willis was a member of a gang that entered the jewellers in Great Junction Street armed with a sledgehammer and axes and stole a large quantity of jewellery.
“A member of staff was injured during the raid but still confronted the robbers. Willis is a violent man and is now facing the consequences of his actions in prison.”
Detective Inspector Gavin McKinlay, the senior investigating officer for the robbery in Dundee, said: “These men went to the shop in Dundee armed with weapons, threatened a customer and staff and made off with jewellery worth a five figure sum.
“They had only one thing on their mind, to get the jewellery and nothing was going to get in their way. Despite the high levels of intimidation displayed and the clearly terrifying experience for those within the shop they were thwarted by the bravery of a customer who challenged them and this distraction allowed staff to activate the alarm. This meant they made off with a much smaller haul than they might otherwise have taken.
“An extensive and complex police investigation tracked these men down to locations across Scotland and the north of England, but I would like to pay testimony to the bravery of the customer, who was injured and has fortunately recovered, and the shop staff who were left badly shaken by what happened.
“These men are now facing the consequences of their actions. There is no place for this kind of violence in our society and we will always do all we can to bring people responsible for such crimes to justice.”
Throughout the COVID-19 response, renewal and recovery physical activity has and continues to be recognised as fundamental to physical and mental health and wellbeing. So why not boost your immunity, manage stress, and put yourself first for a change by gifting yourself 12 days of fitness?
Available to buy online only from 1st – 31st December, Edinburgh Leisure, a charity dedicated to creating opportunities for everyone to lead more active and healthy lives, has launched its seasonal promotion, 12 days of fitness, with the aim of encouraging people to stay active in December.
The 12 days of fitness promotion offers 12 consecutive days of membership, from the moment you buy, for only £12 and give access to Edinburgh Leisure’s climb and fitness facilities (with the exception of the Turkish Baths at Portobello), subject to COVID-19 restrictions.
And if you get the fitness bug, you’re not restricted to one pass per person either – if you wish to buy a second pass after your first pass expires, it’ll mean you’re doubly on the way to reaching those fitness goals ahead of New Year.
Edinburgh Leisure’s facilities are second to none and offer choice and great value, across various city locations.
Their gyms feature some of the latest fitness equipment and while things are a little different from before with physical distancing measures in place, and the need to book your gym, swim and climb sessions in advance, you will be assured a warm welcome, with helpful staff ready to help you reach your fitness goals.
They also have numerous swimming pools across the city, from historic baths to the famous Olympic-sized Royal Commonwealth Pool and Europe’s largest climbing arena at Ratho.
For further information about Edinburgh Leisure venues and services and the 12 Days of Fitness Promotion visit:
More than £11 million has been awarded to two drugs projects to enable them to expand their residential rehabilitation service as part of a commitment to increase the number of beds in Scotland by 50% to 650 by 2026.
River Garden Auchincruive in South Ayrshire will use the funding over the next five years to increase capacity from seven to 56 residents and build a unit to meet the specific needs of women.
NHS Lothian will receive around £5 million to create capacity to support around 600 additional placements over five years at Lothian and Edinburgh Abstinence Programme (LEAP) and increase capacity at the Ritson detoxification clinic from eight beds to 12. This will enable the board to develop a pathway to rehab for those using complex polysubstances and illicit benzodiazepines.
The funding is part of the additional £100 million announced as part of the National Mission to improve access to residential rehabilitation.
In a statement to Parliament on progress with Residential Rehabilitation, Minister for Drugs Policy Angela Constance outlined plans to ensure that by 2026, at least 1000 people are publically funded to go to rehab every year – a 300% increase on the number prior to the launch of the National Mission.
Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance said: “While there is much to be done to address our drug deaths crisis we are making changes to support people to access the treatment and recovery that is right for them.
“Our commitment to increase the number of publically funded places by 300% and the number of beds by 50% will provide options for those who can safely access and who want to access residential rehab.
“The funding announced for these latest projects comes from the additional £100 million we are investing in residential rehabilitation over the next five and we are determined every penny of that will make a difference.”
General Manager of Royal Edinburgh Hospital and Associated Services David Pickering-Gummer said: “The grant will allow the LEAP service to increase capacity by 40% and increase bed numbers in the Ritson Clinic by 50%, to allow for stabilisation and detoxification prior to transfer to LEAP.
“There will be a greater focus on vulnerable groups and we will employ peers with lived experience to act as ‘bridges’ between community services and rehab. We will also focus on strengthening aftercare provision.
“The team are particularly thrilled to see the ‘Peer Bridge Project’ being funded, which will open the doors a bit more widely to vulnerable groups in keeping with Scottish Government priorities.
“We are grateful to the Scottish Government and to the local Alcohol and Drug Partnerships for having the vision to fund plans which will make a real difference to the lives of patients and their families who are struggling with addiction.”
River Garden Chair William Smith said: “All at River Garden are enormously grateful for the funding support from the Residential Rehabilitation Rapid Capacity Programme.
“This funding will enable the significant expansion of our residential capacity to create additional space for residents, and new staffing resource and facilities that specifically meet the needs of women.
“Existing residents come from across Scotland and we very much look forward to having the opportunity to help many more people sustainably recover from addiction in the beautiful setting and community of River Garden Auchincruive.”
This monthly report provides a detailed, comprehensive analysis of construction data, giving built environment and property professionals a unique insight into sector results, from the three months to the end of October 2021.
A significant takeaway from November’s figures is, whilst the decline in project starts continues to affect the sector, an uptick in approvals and contract awards demonstrates a degree of resilience.
Failure to Launch
Against the context of global skills shortages and persistent supply chain issues, inevitably the overall value of project starts during the three months to October declined.
This represented a 29% drop overall against the preceding three months to October 2021 and was 17% lower than the same period last year.
A softening in underlying work (< £100 million) (16%) and a sharp decline in major projects (> £100 million) down a massive 50% on the preceding three months this year supports the wider acknowledgement of a temporary autumn slump, following a summer of intense activity.
Reasons for Optimism
Supporting Glenigan’s predictions this downturn in project starts is a short-term challenge, an increase in detailed planning approvals and main contract awards highlights a healthy pipeline of future work in 2022 and beyond.
This emphasises the predictions found in Glenigan’s most recent industry Forecast (November 2021) which predicts sector-wide growth next year, despite the current disruption battles.
Analysing the data further, the value of main contracts awarded rose by 4% against the previous three months and was 32% up on a year ago.
Major contract awards rallied, following relatively poor performance between July – September. Although still lower compared to the three months to July (-8%), awards were up 20% compared to 2020.
Planning consents edged 2% higher against the preceding three months but were unchanged on a year ago. Nevertheless, approvals were 17% above the same period in 2019.
On-site activity remains stable
According to the latest official ONS data, the value of work carried out on-site picked up in September, having weakened in the previous two months. Again, external, global events had a major role to play. Likely, the recent energy and fuel crises will have only exacerbated the situation. This slight increase was not enough to prevent a 1.5% slip against the preceding three months, but was up 9.7% on 2020.
Looking to the sector split, residential new work fell back during the period coverage in this Review, with private and social housing falling by 3.5%.
Public non-residential and commercial output also declined, dropping by 12.8% and 5% respectively against the preceding three months.
Sector Focus
A general decline in underlying starts persisted across almost all sector verticals.
Underlying civil engineering work starts saw a fall of almost a third (-32%) compared with the previous three months to October, and were 43% down on a year earlier. This was highlighted through poor underlying infrastructure performance, 42% lower than a year ago. Utilities were also 45% lower.
Residential, retail, hotel & leisure, health and education also witnessed a decline in performance in the three months to October. For underlying residential, it was also 22% down on the same period last year.
Standing out from the crowd, underlying industrial project starts proved a pillar of strength, increasing 41% against the preceding three months as well as standing 38% higher than a year earlier.
Underlying office starts were also high, climbing 8% against the preceding three-month period to October, 23% higher than a year ago.
Likely these spikes are caused by a significant increase in ‘mission critical’ projects coming online and an even greater push from employers to get staff back into the formal workplace.
Regional Performance
London was the strongest performing part of the country for underlying project-starts, with starts rising 2% during the three months to October to stand 28% up on a year ago. Similar to previous reviews, the North West was the only other region to see an increase in underlying starts against the preceding three months (+3%) with starts also up 9% on a year ago.
Underlying starts continued to fall across the rest of the nation, with Wales performing particularly poorly, with value plummeting 51% against the preceding three months to stand 74% down on a year ago.
Commenting on the findings, Glenigan’s Economic Director, Allan Wilen says, “Tough times continue as disruptive global events continue to hit hard, however a gradual increase in contract awards and planning consents indicate momentum will soon start to revive.
“Of course, ready availability of personnel and material when shovels need to go into the ground will determine how long the slump in starts persists.
“Once again, there’s massive regional inconsistency, with only two parts of the country seeing an increase in activity. This will no doubt become a priority for the new LUHC Secretary, who will need to strike a balance across the nation to deliver on the government’s much trailed levelling-up agenda.”
To find out more about Glenigan, its expert insight and leading market analysis click here.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, has raised concerns about the number of people waiting on key diagnostic tests in NHS Lothian.
Diagnostic tests give doctors more information about a patient, so that they can confirm or rule out conditions and diseases. Key diagnostic tests include endoscopy and radiology. Endoscopy is where a long flexible tube with a light and camera shows images of a patients organs on a television screen. Radiology is the science of x-rays for taking images to diagnose a patient.
The eight key tests and investigation are upper endoscopy, lower endoscopy (excl. colonoscopy), colonoscopy, cystoscopy, CT scan, MRI scan, barium studies and non-obstetric ultrasound.
In NHS Lothian a record 17,432 patients were waiting to be seen for a key diagnostic test at the end of September 2021. This is an increase of 790 from the end of June 2021 when 16,631 patients were waiting, an increase of 4.75%.
The number of patients waiting for a diagnostic test in NHS Lothian has risen by 2,989 in the last year from 14,443 at the end of September 2020, an increase of 21%.
Over the last two years the number of patients waiting for a diagnostic test has risen from 10,657 at the end of September 2019 by 6,775 patients, 64%.
Across Scotland 125,557 patients were waiting to be seen for the eight key diagnostic tests, an increase of 8.9% (+10,304) from 30 June 2021 and 22.2% higher than at 30 September 2020.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“We are seeing a very concerning increase in the number of patients waiting for a key diagnostic test in NHS Lothian over the last two years.
“The number of patients waiting over 6 weeks has more than tripled over the last two years.
“Diagnostic tests are vital for doctors to be able to diagnose and treat patient’s diseases.
“The quicker a patient’s illness is diagnosed the sooner they can get treatment, which improves their chance of recovery.
“The pandemic will inevitably have impacted diagnostic tests in NHS Lothian, however consistent underfunding for the health board by SNP Ministers had made diagnostic waiting times very long even before Covid-19.”
It is estimated that more than 1.3 million people have been targeted by unscrupulous regulated and unregulated financial advisors who have pedalled bad advice.
These unscrupulous advisors have persuaded many people to transfer their existing private pensions or extremely valuable defined benefit pensions, to open a SIPP (Self Invested Personal Plan) and to “invest” in unregulated, high risk and illiquid “investments”.
Many people have lost most, if not all, of their pensions which they have been paying into all of their working lives. In some cases, people have transferred pension pots of £500,000 or more into worthless “investments” sold to them by dodgy or incompetent financial advisors who were not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Investments that promise significant returns but deliver losses have led to people losing most or all of their pension funds, leaving them devastated, often traumatised, unable to retire comfortably and often unable to retire at all.
Solicitor Paul Higgins of Pension Justice, a law firm that specialises in assisting victims of pension mis-selling to help recover some of their lost money, says: “That old adage of ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true’ couldn’t apply more than in the case of pension mis-selling.
“We’ve had clients that have been promised huge returns on unregulated investments into things such as storage pods, airport car parking spaces, fractional ownership of property in Cape Verde, carbon credits and more, which sadly have all turned out to be worthless”.
Pension Justice has helped its clients, who have been given bad advice, to recover millions of pounds in compensation and has the following top tips to help people from falling victim to pension mis-selling.
Knowing what red flags to look out for could save a person from making a terrible mistake that could help them avoid losing their pension and ruining their retirement:
1. Be suspicious of cold calls from financial advisors. As a general rule don’t take cold calls. If you don’t know who they are, put the phone down. If you are interested in talking to them, do some background research into their qualifications and the investments they are offering. Promises of doubling your money are probably worthless. Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous “advisors” out there who prey on people by offering “free pension reviews”. Under no circumstances agree to anything on the phone or invite them into your home, however convincing, how friendly they are or how much pressure they put you under.
Check with the Financial Conduct Authority to see if they are authorised to provide financial advice.
2. Do your homeworkon the investments offered. Look up pension mis-selling, discuss the investment opportunity with friends and family and ask someone to help you do some research online if you are not internet savvy. Unregulated investments are highly risky, and you could lose your life savings for the baseless promise of high returns.
3. Make sure you understand the terms and conditions. Your financial adviser is in a position of trust and has to communicate the terms and conditions of any products they are selling. They need to ensure you are fully informed before making any decisions. If your pensions advisers don’t explain any terms and conditions, you will likely be able to file a claim.
4. Ask for a full breakdown of fees and charges. Make sure you find out exactly how much this transfer will cost you in terms of fees and annual charges. Again, victims of mis-selling sometimes end up paying out more money to the advisor than their pension earns. If the advisor is not clear about these fees and charges, then walk away.
5. You have been advised to transfer your pension from a workplace pension. It is doubtful that it will be beneficial for you to transfer your extremely valuable defined benefit pension and there is a good chance that you will be mis-sold.
Paul said: “If you think you have already been a victim of pension mis-selling, it is possible to get compensation. Pension Justice have recently helped one client recover compensation.
“She transferred £35,000 from a defined benefit NHS Superannuation Scheme of Scotland pension into a SIPP and thereafter “invested in an Ethical Forestry scheme” which failed.
“We recently helped another client who had a defined benefit scheme pension with Proctor and Gamble and also a personal pension which together were worth over £158,000. She was persuaded to open a SIPP and to transfer her pensions into that SIPP and thereafter invest over £149,000 in “investments” which subsequently failed.
“Pension Justice pursued a claim on her behalf to the FSCS (Financial Services Compensation Scheme) and in February 2020 recovered £85,000.00 in compensation for our client, the maximum payable under the scheme.”
Harrods is proud to announce the launch of its first stand-alone H beauty destination in Scotland, in the heart of Edinburgh, on the 30th November 2021.
Following two successful H Beauty store openings across England, the latest H beauty, will be located at St James Quarter, in the heart of Edinburgh’s shopping district. The latest addition to the H beauty portfolio reflects Harrods’ commitment to bringing its industry-leading expertise in creating luxury shopping experiences through its unique curation of brands, to new communities across the UK.
Offering a game-changing beauty wonderland, the 21,000 sq.ft. space embodies the future of beauty, providing an expansive space for customers to enjoy a diverse portfolio of exceptional services and must-have products from over 90 international beauty brands.
The store is an experiential playground where both beauty novices and experts can discover the industry’s most innovative brands in addition to finding their long-standing favourites.
In keeping with H beauty’s ethos of inclusivity, empowerment, and self-expression, the Harrods buying team, led by Annalise Fard and Mia Collins, has carefully curated a spectacular offering that delivers something for everyone and encourages the H beauty community to play, experiment and celebrate who they are through beauty.
To provide customers with an unmatched and elevated beauty retail experience, each H beauty store is developed with the local beauty community in mind and is designed to bring the most important and vibrant products, brands, and experiences to customers, often for the first time.
H Beauty will support local talent and up and coming Scottish brands, whose values directly connect with Harrods own, with its ‘Born & Bred’ offering, featuring local brands such as Vieve, Moo & Yoo, Kingdom Scotland and Lola’s Lashes.
The store also offers the first physical location in Edinburgh for local customers to test, swatch, play and purchase iconic and coveted products instore from the much-loved Charlotte Tilbury, as well as Keys Soulcare and Kora Organics.
Premium brands such as Chanel, Dior and Givenchy sit alongside cult-favourites, some who until now have only had a limited presence in Edinburgh including Westman Atelier, Kylie Cosmetics, and Sunday Riley.
Annalise Fard, Director of Beauty at Harrods, commented:“The opening of our first H beauty store in Scotland is a significant and hugely exciting milestone for Harrods.
“As a leading authority in luxury and the beauty space, we are committed to meeting the ongoing demand for high quality retail beauty shopping experiences outside of London, through the expansion of our stand-alone H beauty stores, and we take great pride in bringing the essence of Harrods Beauty to local communities across different regions of the UK.
“For H beauty Edinburgh, we have carefully curated an extensive portfolio of brands and products tailored to suit the local customer, which this is reflected in the breadth of beauty collections and services available in store.”
H beauty is a perfume paradise, and as the UK’s leading fine fragrance retailer, Harrods intends to bring the best of what is offered in the Knightsbridge Beauty Halls to regional communities across the UK.
The store’s fragrance offering showcases the sectors growth and the continuous demand for luxury perfumes. With a dedicated Fragrance Bar, boutiques by Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Penhaligon’s, as well as access to brand exclusives from Initio, L’Artisan Parfumeur, Parfums de Marly, and Montale, customers can rediscover their familiar favorites and fall in love with new signature scents.
In addition, H beauty’s extensive skincare offering ensures that there are enriching and effective products to enhance your daily skincare routine or address skin concerns, across a range of different price points.
The store also houses a wealth of innovative beauty gadgets, makeup, candles, and haircare brands that are designed to enhance your inner and outer wellbeing, and up your beauty game with eye-catching looks.
H beauty is an all-encompassing destination for all things beauty and the store is framed by several dedicated boutiques for some of the most iconic names in the industry, from Gucci’s instantly recognisable pastel and floral décor, to Charlotte Tilbury’s glamourous Hollywood-inspired beauty and skincare offering.
Harrods is known for delivering innovative and creative shopping experiences, and at H beauty Edinburgh customers can access interactive make-up tutorials and experiential product testing through state-of-the-art play tables throughout the store.
Additionally, the store’s 14-seat Champagne Bar offers an indulgent menu of patisseries and cocktails created by Harrods’ renowned food and beverage team, providing the prefect space for beauty lovers to sit, sip and reunite with friends.
Mia Collins, Head of Beauty at Harrods, said: “We are delighted to bring the magic of Harrods Beauty to Scotland for the very first time, with our H Beauty St James Quarter store.
“We are so excited to join the avid community of beauty lovers in Edinburgh and we can’t wait to share H beauty and our epic line up of brands & products with them.
“Our new store in Edinburgh features all of H beauty’s iconic signatures including our famous Champagne Bar; the picture-perfect spot to meet loved ones for a glass of something sparkling or a delectable bite to eat, as well as our immersive play-tables and an assortment of new beauty experiences and concepts that will inspire and delight local customers.
“We are bringing a swathe of local and up-and-coming brands, products, and services to our Scottish beauty lovers that aren’t available anywhere else in Edinburgh and I can’t wait to introduce them to this discerning audience.”
Following two successful H beauty openings, the first at Lakeside retail centre in Essex and second at centre:mk in Milton Keynes, H beauty Edinburgh marks the latest chapter in Harrods’ long term strategic plans to bring H beauty to beauty communities around the UK.
The ambitious national expansion will also see two further stores open over the next 12 months in Bristol and Newcastle.
