As 2021 comes to an end, St James Quarter shows no signs of slowing down with seven new retailers opening their doors in time for Christmas.
Throughout the month of December, St James Quarter announces a number of openings including Thai Express Kitchen, German Doner Kebab, Wingstop, Reiss, Bubbleology, Moriconi and Sunnamusk, just in time for the busy festive season.
Catering to everyone, the new line-up offers everything from clothing and accessories to food and drink, providing a luxurious escape featuring new trends and tastes from around the world.
Much to foodies’ delight, Wingstop and Thai Express Kitchen are now open and are tingling tastebuds with the American and Canadian brands both beginning their first venture in Scotland, bringing flavours and recipes from across the globe.
German Doner Kebab also opened its doors to its third restaurant in Edinburgh late last week and has launched its limited-edition ultimate winter warmer to celebrate. The all-new Chilli Heatwave Krunch Burger is set to get pulses racing and has arrived just in time for the Christmas holidays.
For those looking for the perfect Christmas party outfit, they can shop ‘til they drop in the brand-new Reiss store which opened today. Taking The Quarter’s fashion offering to a whole new level, the iconic brand will offer fashionista’s high-quality pieces suitable for all ages.
And it doesn’t stop there, St James Quarter has welcomed new name Moriconi, an Italian jeweller featuring handmade pieces from Tuscany using both traditional and modern processing techniques to the main galleria floor.
Joining them later this month will be Bubbleology, a leading Bubble Tea brand, crafting made to order tea-based beverages and Sunnamusk, a specialist fragrance house based in the UK. Working with a team of highly skilled perfumers, Sunnamusk produces an exclusive range of pure fine oils, Eau de Parfum and home fragrances.
Getting into the Christmas spirit, St James Quarter is also running a 12 days of Christmas giveaway offering car park users the chance to receive an exciting free parking prize for use in January. Guests using the car park will be surprised at random between the 12th to 24th December.
Additionally, shoppers can make the most of parking at The Quarter with a fixed rate of £5 from 5.30pm onwards available during the festive period.
Nick Peel, Managing Director for St James Quarter, commented: “As we approach Christmas, there couldn’t be a better time to welcome new and exciting brands to St James Quarter. As the place to shop in Scotland’s capital, we’re proud to welcome a number of Scottish firsts as well as brands already popular with visitors to the city.
“From luxury fashion to exotic tastes, there’s something for everyone at The Quarter and our retailers will be sure to make Christmas shopping an enjoyable experience for all.
“We look forward to welcoming guests over the Christmas period and will be excited to share our latest developments in the new year.”
Wingstop, the award-winning concept with more than 1,600 locations worldwide, has announced that it will open a new restaurant in Edinburgh tomorrow (Thursday 16 December).
The new outlet will be Wingstop’s 14th UK location and their first physical restaurant opening in Scotland.
The restaurant will be located on St James Quarter’s lower ground in Leith Street Eats. The store is set to open to the public on December 16th 2021, and will be open between 11am – 10pm seven days a week. Delivery and Click and Collect will be available soon through Deliveroo.
Tom Grogan, Director of Lemon Pepper Holdings (Wingstop UK) said: “We have taken our time to look for the perfect location for our first Wingstop location in Scotland and we are delighted with the site we have chosen in St James Quarter.
“We look forward to introducing our Flavours and Wings to the guests of this iconic development.”
Nick Peel, Managing Director at St James Quarter, said: “We are beyond excited to be welcoming Wingstop to the St James Quarter family. We know from the success of our food and beverage brands just how much customers love culinary experiences, so we can’t wait to see their incredible menu come to life.
“Our goal is to provide visitors with an enjoyable and memorable experience with something new to see, do, and experience every time they come back to The Quarter – from the casual diner to the serial foodie, there is something here for everyone.”
Wingstop recently opened its 16th store in Manchester Piccadilly, following on from openings in Birmingham, Bristol and Reading.
Wingstop prides itself on its quality product and bold flavour variety. Guests can choose from a selection 10 bold flavours: Lemon Pepper, Atomic, Mango Habanero, Hawaiian, Louisiana Rub, Original Hot, Spicy Korean Q, Hickory Smoked BBQ, Brazilian Citrus Pepper and Garlic Parmesan.
Classic wings, boneless wings, tenders are all available hand-sauced-and-tossed with fans’ choice of bold flavours. Wingstop has recently introduced a Big Flavour Burger available in any of the ten flavours served in a buttery brioche bun, coleslaw, ranch, and pickles.
Sweet potato fries or regular fries are also available and can be customised with Lemon Pepper seasoning, Cajun or Wingstop style, or fans can go all out and order loaded fries topped off with either Buffalo Ranch or cheese.
Wingstop’s dip selection includes ranch, blue cheese and honey mustard. To top it off, sweet and crunchy churros are available for dessert with a choice of Oreo or Biscoff crumble and a choice of sweet milk or caramel dip.
Since launching in 2018, Wingstop has a growing portfolio of restaurants in England and now Scotland. The aim is to continue expansion with more restaurants due to open across the UK.
A GLOBAL brand known for its fresh take on traditional Thai food has officially opened the doors of its first ever Scottish venue in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter.
Thai Express Kitchen offers Edinburgh foodies casual dining and a licensed bar, centred around an open-plan kitchen, with expert wok chefs cooking to order and using fresh and seasonal produce.
The Edinburgh restaurant features Scotland’s very first example of double decker restaurant seating – inspired by a setup popular across Southeast Asia.
Also offering food on the go, it serves a selection of traditional Thai and custom dishes, including pad Thai, papaya salad and its popular Thairatcha wings – with customers able to customise dishes to their preferred spice level.
The launch is an exciting moment for Uzma and Sachin Pattani, who brought the 300-outlet “Thai Express” brand to the UK in 2012.
As the first Thai Express “Kitchen”, Edinburgh will be the eighth and largest setting, with the dining in element a much bigger focus. The St James Quarter restaurant joins similar buzzy locations including Croydon, Wembley and Birmingham.
The opening marks the moment Sachin, 42, who has overseen the £500,000 transformation of the site, hands over operations to his 35-strong team who will oversee the day to day running of the venue.
He said: “Our launch events could not have been more successful and we are delighted to have started serving up our world-famous Thai food to the Edinburgh public.
“As our first ever ‘Kitchen’ – a lot of care and hard work has gone in behind the scenes to make this our most creative and extensive venue so far.
“We’re fiercely proud of the business we have built in the UK so far and are looking forward to offering our Scottish customers delicious Thai flavours in a special setting that we hope will get people talking.”
The eatery, within the £1billion St James Quarter’s Leith Street Eats area, will feature 100 covers.
Originally from Canada, Thai Express is the global leading brand for fast casual Thai Dining – and it attracts a wide audience, from families to students to office workers, with a combination of fresh food at a reasonable price.
For more information about Thai Express Kitchen at St James Quarter, visit: https://thaiexpress.co.uk/ or follow us on Facebook and Instagram
With 12 days until Christmas, St James Quarter has launched a brand-new gift-wrapping service, giving shoppers a helping hand this festive season.
Located on level one of the Galleria, the St James Quarter volunteers can expertly wrap gifts of all shapes and sizes, in exchange for a charity donation for the shopping destination’s charity partners, Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids and Deaf Action.
The festive service launched on Saturday where the volunteers were joined by The Rolling Hills and St Giles choirs who serenaded shoppers with Christmas tunes to help spread the Christmas cheer this year.
The gift-wrapping service will continue until Christmas eve and is available from Thursday to Sunday, 12 noon until 6pm. St James Quarter is also spreading the festive cheer to the lower levels, with unlimited parking for £5 after 5:30pm this festive season.
The award-winning team behind the UK’s best burger have today opened up their first Edinburgh outlet, taking a prime position within the acclaimed Bonnie & Wild food hall in the St James Quarter.
Nick Watkins of Glasgow’s favourite burger restaurant El Perro Negro said they had been looking for the right Edinburgh location for a while, and that the prospect of “joining the Bonnie & Wild family was a brilliant opportunity, and too good to pass up on”.
El Perro Negro has won a string of culinary and business accolades in recent years, including UK’s best burger in 2021 and in 2019. The popular eatery has a restaurant in Glasgow’s Woodlands area.
Now the popular burger restaurant and takeaway has today opened up its first Edinburgh outlet at Bonnie & Wild’s food hall, which hosts a variety of exciting chef-led food businesses including Chef Jimmy Lee’s Salt & Chilli, Gary Maclean’s Creel Caught and The Gannet, which last month won Best Restaurant at the annual SLTN awards.
Fans of El Perro Negro were given a tantalising hint of the new move over the weekend when the burger business published a cryptic post on their social media channels announcing the move to Edinburgh, but keeping quiet on the location.
El Perro Negro’s founder Nick said: “Opening in Edinburgh is a massive milestone for El Perro Negro, and both myself and business partners Peter McKenna and Ivan Stein are delighted to head east and join such a fantastic line-up at Bonnie & Wild.
“The support from customers over the past seven years, since we started out as a small pop-up in Glasgow has been overwhelming and we can’t wait to welcome everyone at our newest location.”
Offering a mouthwatering selection of meaty masterpieces, El Perro Negro will be serving up its spectacular Top Dog burger, twice winner of the National Burger Awards, boasting bone marrow and Roquefort butter, double bacon, caramelised onions and black truffle mayo.
Nick, who recently hosted a cook-off event at Bonnie & Wild in partnership with resident butcher MacDuff 1890, added: “All of El Perro Negro’s beef is sourced from small farms in the UK. Always grass-fed and always dry-aged.”
Bonnie & Wild’s Director of Operations Ryan Barrie said: “I’ve over the moon that Nick and the El Perro Negro team are joining Bonnie & Wild. Nick’s focus on high quality and responsible sourcing really chimes with Bonnie & Wild.
“We’re delighted to be welcoming the El Perro Negro team into our Scottish Marketplace, where they’ll be joining the likes National Chef of Scotland Gary Maclean, The Gannet and Chef Jimmy Lee, as well as local favourites east PIZZAS, CHIX and Joelato. I can’t wait to get my hands on one of their Top Dog burgers!”
Since opening in July, Bonnie & Wild has served more than 150,000 guests and attracted businesses such as Bowmore, Naked Malt, Bruichladdich, Virgin Atlantic and Scotland Food & Drink for product launches and other high-profile events.
As well as El Perro Negro, its food stalls include Creel Caught by Gary Maclean, Chef Jimmy Lee’s Salt & Chilli, Erpingham House, east PIZZAS, Joelato, CHIX, The Gannet East, MacDuff Butcher, Broken Clock Café & Patisserie and the Inverarity Morton boutique bottleshop.
El Perro Negro is open now and customers can visit at Bonnie & Wild, located in St James Centre, Edinburgh 7 days a week.
Stylish Scottish eyewear brand IOLLA has teamed up with leading calligrapher, Laila Lettering to offer a complimentary personalisation service on products at their Edinburgh St James Quarter Showroom this weekend.
Taking place in-store for one day only on Saturday 4th December from 11am until 4pm, IOLLA customers can enjoy complimentary hand-drawn case customisation on any purchases from their special guest, Laila Lettering. This is an exclusive opportunity to add a luxurious personal touch on thoughtful gifts for your loved ones and friends this Christmas.
Available on a first come first serve basis to guests on any off-the-shelf purchases including their range of stand out sunglasses, contemporary cases and modern accessories, you can watch Laila Lettering add the magic to gifts live in store.
Laila Lettering is a luxury creative calligraphy and stationery company based in Scotland. Founded by Christina Lessani, she prides herself on crafting bespoke drawings in her own unique style that have seen her work with MTV and Jamie Genevieve’s VIEVE to name a few.
Festive fun at IOLLA doesn’t end there. Shoppers and passers-by can also enjoy their newly decorated storefront adorned with colourful yuletide illustrations by local artist Katie Smith. Katie’s designs can also be found on IOLLA tote bags, complimentary with any Festive Gift Shop purchases including gift cards and cases designed to keep your IOLLA frames snug and in-style.
Christina Lessani, owner at Laila Letteringsaid: “I’m so excited to be working with IOLLA again. I’m a huge fan of their collections and it’s such an honour to be asked to collaborate with them again.
“Personalisation is at the heart of what I do, and I know these customised cases are going to make the most perfect gift this Christmas.”
Kirsty Humpherson, Marketing Manager at IOLLA said: “Christina’s work is incredible and we love collaborating with her company to pull out all the stops for our customers this Christmas.
“Our brand identity and showroom experience is deeply personal, and the luxurious final touch added by Laila Lettering is a great fit for customers looking for exceptional gifts this festive season.”
IOLLA launched in 2015, introducing a better way to buy eyewear with their offering of complete prescription glasses and sunglasses for £75. Their mission is to help people look and feel great, empowering glasses wearers to build an eyewear wardrobe thanks to their diverse range of unique frame designs and affordable price point. Making them the perfect gift this Christmas.
For more information and to keep up to date with all things IOLLA check out their website and follow them on Instagram:
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.
The luxury department store expands its beauty business outside of England for the first time with the launch of H beauty Edinburgh
Harrods is proud to announce the opening of its newest H beauty store at St James Quarter on the 30th November, bringing world-leading experts in beauty, skincare, haircare and wellness to Edinburgh all under one roof.
The opening will mark the first ever H beauty to open in Scotland, demonstrating Harrods’ ambitious commitment to bring its expert beauty curation and luxury shopping experience to new communities across the UK.
Each H beauty store is developed with its local beauty community in mind, and this new 20,000 sq.ft. space will bring together a diverse portfolio of the most premium and innovative brands – from Dior and Chanel to Augustinus Bader and Sunday Riley.
The flagship opening will also introduce several new brands to Edinburgh including Charlotte Tilbury, Clé de Peau Beauté, Kylie Skin & Cosmetics, and Westman Atelier, as well as act as the first physical location in Scotland for brands such as Keys Soulcare, and Kora Organics.
H beauty will also support local talent through its ‘Born & Bred’ offering, housing up and coming Scottish brands such as Jamie Genevieve’s sensational makeup brand Vieve, as well as Moo & Yoo, Kingdom Scotland and Lola’s Lashes.
An extensive offering of cutting-edge brands will be paired with must-have products, expert-driven services, and immersive retail experiences that H beauty is renowned for, such as interactive Play tables and the iconic Champagne Bar.
“After the fantastic response that we’ve had to our previous two H beauty store openings, this launch at St James Quarter marks another significant addition to our leading beauty retail shopping destinations.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing Harrods’ incredible and innovative beauty offering to Edinburgh, giving beauty lovers throughout the local community the opportunity to play, discover and enjoy, and we can’t wait to welcome you all through our doors on the 30th November.”
Nick Peel, Managing Director at St James Quarter, said: “We are beyond excited that H beauty is opening its doors and officially joining the St James Quarter family. To be welcoming an incredible brand like Harrods is another example of St James Quarter providing brand new, game-changing experiences for our customers.
“We want to give our visitors something new to see and do every time they come back to The Quarter, so we can’t wait to see H beauty, a first for Scotland, come to life.”
The latest H beauty launch at St James Quarter follows two successful store openings, the first at Lakeside retail centre in Essex and the second at centre:mk in Milton Keynes. Harrods will continue with its strategic and ambitious plans to deliver its unrivalled H beauty shopping destinations to a wider audience across the UK with two further H beauty stores, due to open in Bristol and Newcastle over the next year.
St James Quarter hosts first Christmas switch on supporting local charity partners
St James Quarter celebrated the launch of its first Christmas season at The Quarter’s official switch on last night. The magical moment was followed by an exclusive performance from Edinburgh Rock Choir.
An enchanting array of festive stars have taken centre stage of The Quarter with over 40 glowing sculptures on display giving an explosion of gold sparkle throughout the galleria for Christmas shoppers to admire.
The event, which took place on Register Square, saw representatives from St James Quarter’s charity partners Deaf Action and Cash 4 Kids hit the big red button to declare Christmas at the Quarter officially here.
Edinburgh Rock Choir rang in the special occasion with their own rendition of ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ and ‘Hold Back The River’.
Deaf Action Choir performed ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ and ‘Thank You For The Music’ and both charities together helped raise vital funds throughout the night.
Nick Peel, Managing Director at St James Quarter, said: “Christmas has officially arrived at The Quarter. Having our charity partners here to help us kick off the festivities was the perfect way to welcome the festive season.
“Not only was it a fantastic evening but we also managed to raise money for some great causes. For some, Christmas can be a difficult time of year so we’re pleased to be able to do our bit and help where we can.
“We hope everyone had a great night and we’re looking forward to welcoming all our customers over the festive period.”
To make the most of the festive period St James Quarter has extended its opening hours on various days throughout December.
Bar Hütte, a brand new après ski themed alpine village, is now open for festivities at St James Quarter.
The pop-up experience, complete with cosy furnishings, exclusive private hüttes, walk-in bar, live music sessions, house DJs and Christmas karaoke, welcomes guests to enjoy seasonal cocktails, delicious hot serves, a broad selection of wines and Cold Town Beer brewed locally in Edinburgh.
Located at St James Square, the unmissable festive concept will be open until Sunday 2nd January.
Inspired by some of the coolest après ski bars in Europe, Bar Hütte St James Quarter combines super snug ski hüttes with a vibrant and fun atmosphere, whether you’re out with friends, hosting a Christmas party or looking to chill-out for an afternoon drink.
Bar Hütte has partnered with Scotland’s award-winning master brewers Cold Town Beer to offer locals some of their favourites. The range on the menu includes Cold Town Lager (recently awarded ‘best pilsner’) Cold Town New England IPA, and festive brews, including Christmas Pudding Ale, Chocolate Cake Stout, and their best-seller Queen of Puddings.
Guests to the alpine village can also enjoy authentic Neapolitan pizzas from Salerno Pizza, ordered via QR code and brought straight to your cosy karaoke hütte. The rustic Italian pizza specialists will be serving an array of incredible tasting pizzas, including gluten-free bases and non-dairy toppings.
As well as Cold Town Beer, there’s an array of season cocktails including Lemon Drizzle Spritz: Sipsmith Lemon Drizzle, mancino rosso, tonic & rosemaryand Winter Spiced Old Fashioned; Makers Mark, spiced syrup & orange bitters. Bar Hütte’s hot serves include Makers Biscoff Hot Chocolate; Makers Mark, hot chocolate & speculoos syrup and Hot Gin & Gingerbread; Sipsmith London Dry, gingerbread syrup, water, orange slice plus many more.
There’s also an extensive wine list curated and supplied by local wine merchants Good Brothers Wine.
To experience a ‘Cosy Karaoke Hütte’ for up to eight people, each hut requires a non-refundable booking fee of £60 and this secures your exclusive use for 1 hour, 45 minutes along with a complimentary welcome ‘Bombardino’ and Christmas karaoke.
Hosting a party? Bar Hütte’s VIP hütte can cater for a minimum of 9 and a maximum of 20 people. Pay £150 to hire the space, enjoy a welcome glass of prosecco and a Bombardino for all guests on arrival, then go crazy on karaoke and keep the drinks flowing for two hours.
Larger groups are encouraged to email edinburgh@barhutte.co.uk to find out which sections of the Après Bar would be a great fit for special festive events and parties.
If you’re wondering what a Bar Hütte Bombardino is, then you are in for a treat – An Italian Mountain classic, warm rum, cream and cinnamon shot served topped with whipped cream… essentially Christmas in a cup.
Bar Hütte is also known for their ‘Shot-Ski’s too – four shots of limoncello on an actual ski. Tip back together, then head to the dance floor.
Animal lovers can also expect a Doggy Grotto, complete with ‘paw-secco’, and complimentary dog treats. This un-fur-gettable experience has everything dog lovers need to get into the festive spirit, including photo props and Santa hats to make your four-legged friend look even cuter.