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Christmas has come early at Fort Kinnaird as retailers reveal a range of exclusive, money-saving Black Friday deals for shoppers in Edinburgh – with many discounts already available in stores now.
Savvy shoppers can discover offers including up to 50% off in store at Mamas & Papas, up to 60% off at Mountain Warehouse, up to £250 of saving per booking with TUI, up to 50% at H.Samuel and a range of tech deals at Currys, with more still set to be revealed.
Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said:“Black Friday can be a great opportunity to tick off some of your Christmas list, or maybe even treat yourself ahead of the festive season, and lots of our retailers will be offering a wide range of exclusive deals.
“A number of retailers are launching bigger deals than ever before, and with many offers also running until the end of the month there are plenty of opportunities for shoppers to take advantage of savings.”
A full list of the Black Friday offers currently available at Fort Kinnaird can be found here, with more still to be added.
*Please see individual retailer websites for terms and conditions.
Fort Kinnaird is open from 9am – 9pm on weekdays, and 9am – 6pm on weekends.
With Black Friday sales in full swing, leading accident prevention charity The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is urging shoppers to know what to look for to ensure they’re buying safe products:
Only purchase from reputable traders
If a trader does not have a high street presence in the UK, check online reviews before buying. Online sellers should have a UK address listed on their website.
Look for the appropriate toy safety marks
In England, Scotland and Wales only buy costumes or toys which carry UKCA or CE marks. In the case of Northern Ireland look for the UKNI symbol along with the UKCA or CE mark.
Shoppers can also look for the Lion Mark, which members of the British Toy and Hobby Association can use to mark a safe product.
All fancy-dress costumes, including wigs and face masks, should be flame-retardant in accordance with EN71 part 2 – the safety standard for flammability of toys.
Additionally, items sold in the UK by a member of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) are likely to have been made to a higher standard of fire safety and labelled with the words ‘This garment has undergone additional safety testing for flammability.’
Make sure toys are age appropriate
Age recommendations on toys are based on research from manufacturers and considers safety, which is why we recommend using age-appropriate toys, and being mindful of younger siblings accessing them.
Beware of button batteries
Many toys and gadgets run on lithium-ion button batteries, which can cause catastrophic injuries if ingested. While The Toy Safety Regulations state that toys with button batteries in should have lockable battery compartments, they might still become unsecure or damaged.
Be extra vigilant with all bargains bought this Black Friday, particularly with electronic devices, flameless candles and musical greetings cards.
Be mindful of magnets
From decorations and toys to fake piercings and more, magnets are often found in products. Much like button batteries, if they are ingested, they have the potential to cause significant injuries.
Inspect your electricals
The Black Friday sales can be the time that people wait to make their electrical purchases, but products without the appropriate safety marks can cause fires and devastation. In England, Scotland and Wales only buy electricals which carry UKCA or CE marks. In the case of Northern Ireland look for the UKNI symbol along with the UKCA or CE mark.
The above advice also applies to e-scooters and e-bikes, and they should always be charged in a place outside the home if possible.
Philip LeShirley, Product Safety Advisor at RoSPA, said:“Black Friday and Cyber Monday provide great opportunities for consumers to save money, especially when buying Christmas presents for loved ones.
“RoPSA encourages all consumers to do some checks on sellers and products before they purchase items, as some “bargains” can in fact be unsafe products, or not suitable for the age of the recipient.”
Fort Kinnaird has announced that the Lush Snow Fairy Tour will be visiting the centre this weekend.
The 2023 Lush festive collection is designed around ‘Out of this world Gifting’. Shoppers at Fort Kinnaird will be able to visit the themed pop-up to browse products from both the Lush Snow Fairy and Intergalactic ranges, including body sprays, bath bombs, and the biggest ever Snow Fairy gift set. The space will also have a photo opportunity and ‘kindness wall’.
Lush sells one Snow Fairy product every 5 seconds on average during the festive period (October – December), so visitors need to be quick to get their hands on this year’s must-have festive gifts.
16NOV23 Lush Snow Fairy Tour at Fort Kinnaird.
The pop-up will be located next to the play park and near Caffè Nero and a full breakdown of its opening times can be found below.
Multrees Walk, Edinburgh’s most stylish destination, announces the expansion of the designer retailer Louis Vuitton, in Edinburgh. Louis Vuitton – the world’s leading high-quality products group – has been extended from 3,072 square feet to over 6,500 square feet, doubling in size.
Opening in Edinburgh over 20 years ago, Louis Vuitton was the second store to open in Multrees Walk. Over the last 2 decades, the retailer has established a loyal clientele throughout both Edinburgh and Scotland. Coupled with the added benefit from the recovery in international travel and tourism and a demand from international students, the Edinburgh store has gone from strength to strength.
The solid growth for the brand and outstanding performance and demand for the fashion and leather goods, has granted the retailer the opportunity to double in size.
Commenting on the expansion, Adam Stone, Head of Retail Asset Management UK at Nuveen said: “Multrees Walk has become home to many leading and exclusive fashion brands, and we are proud to announce the next chapter for Louis Vuitton.
“As one of our first retailers to open, to see Louis Vuitton trade so successfully to the point where they decided to upsize their store and expand their product offering in Edinburgh is fantastic and testament to the strong trading environment offered by Multrees Walk.
“We look forward to continuing to evolve the retail offering by welcoming further High-End Luxury retailers in the near future.”
Offering a prime location, Multrees Walk provides a luxury shopping experience in the heart of Edinburgh and houses many exclusive fashion brands including Louis Vuitton.
Louis Vuitton, Edinburgh is the only store in Scotland and has cemented its reputation as the destination for designer leather goods.
River Island has opened a new concept store at Fort Kinnaird, Edinburgh yesterday. The new space is twice the size of the previous store, occupying 10,500 square feet of trading space and promises a fully integrated shopping experience; combining physical and digital with interactive fitting rooms.
River Island’s design-led womenswear clothing and accessories will be offered alongside the brand’s expansive and versatile denim range. Menswear will carry leisurewear, denim in various fits and washes and a sophisticated range of suits and smart wear. Kidswear will offer RI baby, mini and older kids’ ranges with highlights including cute co-ords, special pieces perfect for occasions as well as everyday essentials.
As part of the launch celebrations, from 11th – 13th August, the new River Island store will host a programme of in-store events and activities for shoppers including a ‘Spin the Wheel’ experiential activation, pop-up flower shop by MUD Urban Flowers and in store competitions. The first 100 customers who spend over £55 will also receive a limited-edition tote bag filled with River Island goodies.
Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “We’re very excited to be the first destination in Scotland to open one of River Island’s new concept stores.
“I’m sure our visitors from across the city will be just as intrigued and impressed, particularly with the innovative fitting rooms which will bring a whole new experience to shopping.”
Fort Kinnaird has confirmed its opening times for the Easter weekend (Friday 7th – Monday 10th April) for those looking to enjoy a day out with family and friends or pick up some last-minute Easter gifts, decorations for the celebrations.
From Friday 7th – Monday 10th April the centre’s shopping hours will be:
Good Friday – 7th April: 10am – 9pm
Easter Saturday – 8th April: 9am – 7pm
Easter Sunday – 9th April: 10am – 6pm
Easter Monday – 10th April: 10am – 9pm
Fort Kinnaird always recommends checking with individual retailers for their specific opening times before setting off to avoid disappointment. For the most up to date Easter opening hours, check here: https://www.fortkinnaird.com/opening-times
Along with its wide variety of shops and restaurants, the centre has also compiled a range of options for family fun for the Easter school holidays, including the chance to meet and learn about small animals at Pets at Home, and crafting workshops at Hobbycraft where kids of all ages can enjoy clay-making and painting.
Fort Kinnaird is home to over 70 shops and restaurants including M&S, H&M, Primark, Bread Meats Bread and newly opened Chaiiwala, as well as a seven-screen Odeon cinema. There are also more than 2,600 free parking spaces.
For more information to help plan your Easter trip to Fort Kinnaird, including what’s on during the Easter holidays head here.
Valentine’s Day is just round the corner and whether you’re treating a partner or celebrating Palentine’s with a much-loved friend, Fort Kinnaird has rounded up a selection of ideas to help make the search for the perfect gift or date night easier.
From fashion to jewellery, and restaurants to the cinema, there is something for everyone.
Can’t-go-wrong Valentine’s gifts
Visitors can gift their loved ones a new signature scent with Chanel, Dior and other favourites available at Superdrug, Boots and The Perfume Shop – where you can also find the newly launched Marc Jacobs’ Perfect scent.
For indulgent bathing and pampering hampers, try TK Maxx and Next, while Hotel Chocolat has a new ‘Made with Love’ selection of 30 heart-shaped chocolates – plus their popular ‘Chocolate & Fizz’ collections, which can include a bottle of prosecco.
M&SM&S also has an abundance of bouquets of flowers, including spring tulips and red roses.
Luxury gifts
Fort Kinnaird is home to Beaverbrooks, Goldsmiths, Swarovski, and Pandora, the perfect places to pick up personalised charms, watches and jewellery that will last a lifetime.
Romantic meals at home
For wine and prosecco, delicious sharing menus and decadent desserts, M&S has a huge selection of Valentine’s ideas to plan the perfect night in. With mix and match offers on mains and sides alongside specially created limited edition buys, there’s something for everyone.
And ProCook has all the kitchenware you need to create a romantic meal at home.
Dining out and activities
For a romantic date night with other halves or friends, head to Tony Macaroni for freshly made risotto, Italian wine and dessert, or Wagamama, Pizza Express or Bread Meats Bread for a laidback meal, before heading to the cinema to catch one of the latest releases. This includes M. Night Shyamalan’s new thriller, Knock at the Cabin, or Steven Spielberg’s newest multi-Oscar nominated biopic, The Fabelmans.
And throughout February, Fridays has the sweet Pink Punk Cosmo, the fruity MidWest Martini and the limited-edition Heart Cracker cocktails all for £6 each Monday to Thursday, while Frankie & Benny’s has an exclusive pink ‘My Beloved Burger’ as well as a fun Jammy Dodger ice cream shake to try.
Fort Kinnaird is open 9am – 9pm on weekdays and 9am – 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information about planning a trip to Fort Kinnaird, please visit www.fortkinnaird.com.
Shoppers are being advised to buy big if they want to avoid price hikes on eggs this winter – with the cost of very large eggs rising at a slower rate than medium ones.
Experts from price intelligence company Skuuudle have revealed new data which tracks the rising cost of eggs over the past five months.
A box of six medium eggs has risen by 14% while the same number of very large eggs has risen by only five percent according to the data.
In the comprehensive analysis of the price of eggs in the UK, 120 products sold across the seven major supermarkets have been forensically tracked over a five month period up until 5th December 2022.
With fresh food price inflation rising to 14.3% for the 12 months until November 2022 the price of a box of six medium eggs has risen by this figure in just the last five months.
Avian flu has disrupted the supply chain of some egg ranges, tightening supply of the most popular products and pushing the price up of sizes most in demand.
But savvy consumers can find better value on the shelves if they buy a box of six very large eggs rather than smaller sizes.
The data revealed that less popular egg products including the very large size and larger quantities of eggs rose by between five and seven percent whereas the more popular boxes of six large or medium rose by higher percentages.
This might also reflect a need for retailers to sell the most popular products for the highest prices relative to other variants.
Skuuudle generates market-leading data analytics to help retailers understand the markets they are operating in to continue to provide optimum prices for consumers – in the face of rising inflation.
This allows retailers to compare like for like products and accurately track changes in price of the same product across different retailers.
This level of insight is critical when accurately tracking the price of a product such as eggs that are in high demand but subject to supply shortages currently.
A Skuuudle spokesman said that retailers have an unenviable ‘balancing act’ to perform when it comes to pricing, having to consider the needs of the customer, their suppliers and the supply chain.
He said: “Egg shortages have been in the news recently with some supermarkets going as far as rationing the number individual customers can take home.
“These have largely been driven by supply chain issues which have also had an impact on the prices supermarkets are paying to their suppliers.
“What is interesting is how supermarkets are choosing to pass these increased costs onto ordinary consumers.
“Our data reveals that it’s the prices of the high volume products which are rising at the highest rate while variants such as very large eggs, are in effect becoming cheaper compared to medium-sized ones.
“By choosing very large eggs shoppers can avoid some of the price hike although as the cost of very large eggs is higher than medium anyway it may not feel like they are getting a bargain.”
Retailers are hiking up the cost of their cheapest food items as the cost of living crisis bites the UK.
Supermarkets are increasing the price of their value items more quickly than more expensive items, according to an analysis by price intelligence company Skuuudle.
In the biggest study of its kind Skuuudle tracked the cost of almost 19,000 items in UK supermarkets on a daily basis from July to December and found that items originally below 75p accelerated at the fastest rate.
These items include many supermarket value range products including biscuits, chocolate, snacks, oils, rice, pasta, cans and packets of food.
Yet items priced above £5 in July have actually fallen in price, possibly as a result of reduced demand for high cost items.
Food staples selling for under 75p have risen by 16% while items selling for over five pounds have decreased in price up to nearly four percent according to the data.
Experts from Skuuudle tracked the price of 18,790 supermarket food products from sauces to cereals.
The figures show a direct correlation between original cost and rate of increase with cheaper items increasing in price at a higher rate than more expensive alternatives.
Items priced between 75p and £1.50 back in July increased by eight percent while items priced from £1.50 to £5 went up by almost four percent.
Skuuudle generates market-leading data analytics to help retailers understand the markets they are operating in, to continue to provide optimum prices for consumers – in the face of rising inflation.
This allows retailers to compare like for like products and accurately track changes in price of the same items across different retailers.
This level of insight is critical when accurately tracking the price of a large number of food products with many small variables differentiating one product from another.
A Skuuudle spokesman said that retailers have an unenviable ‘balancing act’ to perform when it comes to pricing, having to consider the needs of the customer, their suppliers and the supply chain.
He said: “The changes make difficult reading for those on low incomes who are seeing the cost of many value items increase but who may not be able to benefit at all from the reduction in price of more expensive items.
“This change could well be driven by a reduced demand for more expensive items as more people turn to value products during the cost of living crisis.
“Supermarkets are having to contend with increasing costs associated with production and shipping, while issues of supply are driving costs up further.
“What is interesting is how supermarkets are choosing to pass increased costs onto consumers.
“Our data reveals that it’s the prices of the cheapest food items which are rising at the highest rate while many expensive items have actually become cheaper.
“It is often the cheapest items in our baskets that we pay the least attention to so understanding that some of these staples might be increasing at a faster rate will help the most value conscious shoppers stay in control of their weekly food shop bills.”
A THIRD OF SCOTTISH BUSINESSES IN BETTER “ELF” THIS CHRISTMAS !
Bank of Scotland survey shows:
33% of businesses expect higher revenues this Christmas compared to last year
23% of businesses expect to see increased demand this seasonal period
Only one in ten (10%) of retailers say they are completely ready for Christmas trading
However, a fifth (20%) of firms said they do not feel fully prepared for the festive trading period
Despite high inflation, rising energy prices and a tighter labour market, 33% of firms in Scotland expect this Christmas trading period to be merry and bright compared to last year, according to the latest insight from the Lloyds Bank Business Barometer.
Those predicting a bumper festive period cited having more time to prepare (25%), while increasing customer demand was cited by 22% of firms as they felt less affected by Covid restrictions due to the Omicron variant last year. Those expecting a worse Christmas trading period said they were struggling with increased costs of doing business (10%).
Almost three-quarters of businesses surveyed said that Christmas was important for their future prospects (74%), but only one in ten (10%) said they felt completely prepared for Christmas. Meanwhile, a fifth (20%) said they are not yet fully prepared for the festive period.
When asked what could help firms prepare more effectively, 30% said they wanted more support with rising costs, with 23% saying that better access to their supply networks would help. Skilled workers were also high on businesses’ wish lists, with 25% saying access to more skilled staff would boost Christmas trading.
Chris Lawrie, area director for Bank of Scotland, said: “This year has been marked by highs and lows but it’s encouraging to see many firms are in good spirits about trade over the festive period.
“With no restrictions in place, the opportunities for businesses are clear but we know that some aren’t fully prepared for this Christmas trading period. It’s essential that businesses put plans in place now to carefully manage cashflow and make the most of what will be a busy end of the year.”
