Tag: promotions

Celebrate Lunar New Year at St James Quarter this weekend

It’s the Year of the Snake and as people in Edinburgh prepare to celebrate Lunar New Year, St James Quarter has its exciting line up of celebrations taking place this weekend.

Today, Saturday 1st February, St James Quarter will play host to a range of Lunar New Year-themed activities including a traditional Lion Dance procession, which will make its way through the Galleria in an eye-catching and colourful display.

Performed by the talented team at Yee’s Hung Ga Kung Fu Edinburgh, the Lion Dance is commonly performed during Lunar New Year to bring good luck and guests will be able to enjoy two performances throughout the day at 12pm and 1pm.

St James Quarter will also be taking part in the traditional act of gift giving that is associated with Lunar New Year.

Between 12pm – 4pm on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd February, lucky shoppers will have the chance to get their hands on a limited number of red envelopes including gift cards – symbolising good wishes and luck for the year ahead. 

These will be handed out by the Guest Services team on Level 1 and can be redeemed at retailers within The Quarter.

Brands including New Balance and Coach, will be showcasing Chinese New Year inspired limited-edition items.

If you’re looking to celebrate by indulging in traditional Asian cuisine, Thai Express Kitchen will be red envelop give-aways of complimentary appetisers and discount vouchers until the 5th February, while Gordon Ramsay Street Burger will feature the Lunar Burger served with Koffmann’s fries for £18 until the end of January.

Anne Ledgerwood, Estate Director at St James Quarter, said: “Edinburgh is the multicultural hub for Scotland, and Lunar New Year is a great opportunity to experience the different cultures and traditions that we have here in the city.

“We hope that as many of our guests as possible will get involved in the Lunar New Year celebrations at St James Quarter on Saturday and we look forward to welcoming guests to The Quarter to celebrate the Year of the Snake with us”.

For more information on the Chinese New Year celebrations at St James Quarter please visit: https://stjamesquarter.com/event/lunar-new-year

Eat Out Edinburgh returns this March

Back with a bang, Eat Out Edinburgh returns to the city this March offering a month of incredible deals, discounts and events from the capital’s best bars and restaurants.

Following the hugely successful 2024 campaign, which saw the celebrations last for the whole month, Eat Out Edinburgh 2025 will once again bring family, friends and colleagues together from across the Lothians to support the city centre’s vibrant hospitality scene with over 50 venues expected to get involved this year.

Founded in 2022 by Essential Edinburgh, the city’s dedicated Business Improvement District (BID), Eat Out Edinburgh offers diners a chance to sample new cuisines and take advantage of discounts and curated offers, ultimately bringing more footfall to the city centre. 2024’s campaign saw Edinburgh’s hospitality sales boost an incredible 9.2% for the month of March.

Once again, the campaign highlights a host of restaurants, cafés, and bars from Princes Street to George Street, to Charlotte Square and St James Quarter to take part with both established city favourites including Chaophraya, Lady Libertine, BABA, and Bonnie & Wild returning for another year after a successful 2024, and exciting new additions to the campaign like Dishoom, Manahatta, SUSHISAMBA, The Dome and Roxy Lanes among others.

Interested businesses within the BID are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible, whether they participated in 2024 or would like to be a part of the 2025 campaign for the first time.

A full list of participating Edinburgh venues and offers will soon be available to browse on Eat Out Edinburgh’s website, with special tasting menus, events and exclusive offers for city centre workers. 

Diners are encouraged to sign up for regular updates on participating venues and the best deals available at www.eatoutedinburgh.com.

With support from Scotland Food & Drink, this year’s campaign highlights Scotland’s incredible fresh, seasonal produce through the menus and offers created by each restaurant.

Lothian Buses returns as the major transport partner with city centre offers open to Lothian Bus employees, and promotion for the event to be shown on bus screens across the city throughout the campaign.

Emily Campbell Johnston, Senior Manager of Marketing & Communications, Essential Edinburgh, said: “2024’s Eat Out Edinburgh event was a huge success, particularly as our first month-long campaign, with a fantastic turn out filling tables throughout the city centre so well, and a staggering 18,700 bookings made throughout the month of March.

“With some of Edinburgh’s most exciting new restaurants opening in the BID, we anticipate an even wider range of venues taking part this year, with menus and offers to suit any occasion – giving locals, city centre workers and visitors from further afield a reason to get out, have fun and support the local hospitality industry.”

For more information, and to keep up to date with the campaign, visit: 

www.eatoutedinburgh.com

The Centre Livingston set to host an Autumn/Winter style event with a £300 giveaway

The Centre, Livingston will be hosting an Autumn/Winter style event on Saturday, 14th September, 12 – 4pm with local stylist and colour expert, Leigh Maybury, where shoppers can get top tips on key trends this season and be in with a chance of winning a £50 Gift Card to treat themselves.

The free event follows on from the success of Leigh’s first Spring/Summer event in May this year where visitors travelled from around the country for style tips and a colour analysis to find out which shades compliment them the most, and ones to avoid, when it comes to shopping for clothes, accessories and make up.

Leigh, a former Director at the jewellery company, Sella & Dot, qualified at the London College of Style and trained in the art of colour, before launching her own company, Life with Style in 2016. Her aim is to give people the confidence to get out of their comfort zone and try something new, not just on special occasions, but every day.

The event, which will be located near M&S, will give visitors to the shopping mall the chance to get an insight into style trends including animal prints and how to incorporate the season’s key colours, like red and chocolate brown with good neutrals to help build an easy to wear Autumn/Winter capsule wardrobe.

There will also be mini colour analysis sessions on a first come, first service basis, with limited spaces available, and a live ‘Style Talk’ at 1pm and 3pm on dopamine dressing and how to wear bright colours that give you a natural boost and make you feel happy.

Six lucky shoppers will also be in with a chance of winning a £50 Gift Card each to spend on a new outfit on the day.

Leigh said: “I’m delighted to be back at The Centre, Livingston on the 14th September to share my top Autumn/Winter style tips and trends with shoppers.

“Whether it’s an event you are going to or looking for advice on everyday wear, I’ll be able to help you to find exactly what you are looking for in the wide mix of fantastic shops which will make you look and feel great throughout the season.”

Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said: “We are really looking forward to having the expert stylist Leigh Maybury back into the shopping centre this month.

“Our last style event was such a big hit with shoppers who travelled far and wide to get advice on new trends and colours which is why we wanted to host another one which focused on Autumn/Winter key trends, and this time give shoppers the chance to win a Gift Card too.”

Granton GLOWs: Edinburgh College student wins local design competition

An Edinburgh College student has won a creative competition to design a number of posters showcasing projects taking place across Granton and will now have his work on display at the site of the iconic Granton gasometer.

Seventeen-year-old George Kershaw won the creative competition to have his designs displayed at the site of the Granton gas tower, which received significant investment last year to turn the structure into an illuminating landmark which lights up the skyline in the area.

The Foundation Apprenticeship (FA) Design student was named the winner of the competition, after the city council challenged his class to come up with a series of designs to help promote projects and events that have happened in the area, such as the Hidden Doors Festival, COP 26 Climate conference, Diwali celebrations and more.

The iconic gas tower located in the Granton Waterfront area is a beacon of light on the Edinburgh skyline thanks to the partnership project between the College, the City of Edinburgh Council, and 21CC.

George said: “Whilst I expected to do well in the competition, I knew there were several other talented designers also entering so I was very happy to find out that I had won and gained such a great opportunity. I wasn’t as happy to realise that I had also given myself a lot more work than I bargained for, as the process took several months to complete!

“Edinburgh Council set our class with the challenge of designing several promotional banners for the events centred around the Granton gas tower. My design was chosen and expanded on and finalised by me and my tutor Chris Hamilton until it was ready to be printed.

“This involved many conversations between me and the Council and was also my first experience with the many challenges involved in the design process.

“I hope that I can find more great opportunities like this one to challenge myself and so that I can also come out of university with a portfolio full of amazing work, which will help me gain employment at a top design agency once I’ve finished my studies.”

Edinburgh College Assistant Principal for Creative Industries Jakki Jeffery said: “This was an excellent opportunity for the FA Creative Digital Media (Graphics) students to work on a live industry brief from our partnership with Edinburgh Council and 21CC lighting up the iconic Granton Gas Tower.

“We were really impressed with the standard of work submitted by all the students, supported by their lecturer Chris. George is a worthy winner and we wish him all the best in his future career.”

City council leader Cammy Day said: “My warmest congratulations to George on his achievement and I’m sure this will be the first of many more to come in his design career.

“This poster campaign will provide a new and dynamic angle to an already iconic Edinburgh landmark. These posters showcase a wide array of local, national and cultural events. Projects like these in conjunction with Edinburgh College represent the Council’s wider commitment to Granton Waterfront and its long-term regeneration.

“This regeneration will spearhead the capital’s response to the climate emergency alongside providing sustainable economic growth and empowering local communities”.  

Pictures: Fabio Scalici

BOGOF! Consumers warn government off meddling with food and drink promotions

A survey by BritainThinks, commissioned by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), has found that 73% of in-store shoppers say they usually or always purchase products that are on promotion when shopping, with a quarter (25%) of respondents suggesting that if there were no promotions, they would be concerned about the affordability of their shopping.

Nearly two thirds of participants (62%) also agreed that promotions are an important way to save money on food and drink, with nearly three quarters of participants (72%) wanting promotions to continue, finding them useful for saving money, stock up on food for the future and trying new products.

The findings come following news that the government remains committed to plans that would restrict promotions, including multibuys and buy-one-get-one-free deals.

Commenting on the findings, the FDF’s Chief Scientific Officer, Kate Halliwell, said: “The survey results clearly demonstrate that a large majority of in-store shoppers use promotions as a way to save money on their food and drink shopping. We’re extremely concerned that removing these promotions will add to the household’s food bill.

“There is evidence that during a recession, many people increasingly rely on promotions to help them save money. It’s predicted that the average shopping basket may increase by £600 a year without promotions in retail. We have already seen evidence of rising food costs – at the start of lockdown we saw a spike of 2.4% increase in food prices, fuelled by a 15% fall in promotions which accounted for over half of this inflationary spike.

“We urge the Government to consider these findings as they press on with their plans to restrict retail promotions and think about the impact this may have on the shopping basket and for shoppers during an incredibly difficult economic time.”