Robertson & Watt owner Ingrid Meade first joined her family’s business as a 14-year-old Saturday girl.
This year she’ll celebrate four decades of working in the shop – although this is a small fraction of the firm’s time in Dundee city centre.
Remarkably, Robertson & Watt has been serving the people of Dundee from the same location since 1841.
It initially occupied three levels, including a workshop on the first floor at 73 High Street.
After surviving two world wars, the last remaining member of the original partners sold to Maurice Porter, Ingrid’s grandfather, in 1946.
In the 1960s it expanded into the shop next door at 72 High Street, with the second generation Hamish Porter taking the reins.
Ingrid and husband Graham bought the business from her father in 2005.
What’s the secret to Robertson & Watt longevity?
Ingrid delights in seeing successive generations of the same families use the shop.
She said success as an independent retailer is all about knowing your customer.
“The whole process from selecting and buying the stock to someone purchasing it in the shop is really satisfying,” she said.
“People like the one-to-one experience of choosing an item and we pride ourselves on the service we can give.
“We have such loyal customers who want to support a local business and it’s so nice to see successive generations come in to see us.”
The focus is on pieces that are good quality but affordable – although the items it sells also depend on the state of the economy.
“Last year we did start stocking watches more in the £60 to £100 level as we know that not everyone has £3,000 to spend,” Ingrid said.
“We can react a lot quicker to the needs of our customers because we are a small family business and we have great relationships with our suppliers.”
The business believes jewellery is best sold in a physical retail space and has never set up an online shop.
This meant it made no sales during the Covid lockdowns, but, it did see an upturn in trade when it was able to open again.
People, who may have normally spent money on holidays, had more money to treat themselves.
Since then turnover has been steady, partly due to inflationary price increases, with sales volumes slightly down.
“We try to keep our overheads to a minimum but, also, we are not greedy,” said Ingrid.
“We are a small family business. If we can pay our staff and ourselves then we are happy.”
Upbeat despite city centre challenges
While Robertson & Watt has been a constant in Dundee for generations, businesses around the shop have come and gone.
The Courier’s high street tracker has been monitoring empty units in the city centre.
Graham, who joined the business in 1997 and served on the shop floor for many years, said he believes more support needs to come from Dundee City Council.
He said: “Footfall is definitely down in terms of the number of people coming into the city centre. The empty units don’t help.
“I’d like to see the local authority do things to make the city centre more vibrant. We need to encourage families into the city centre by giving them more things to do.”
“The low emission zone means some people aren’t going to take their cars into the city centre. The cost of parking is another issue in my opinion.
“Perth gives free parking to encourage people to shop at Christmas, but we don’t have that.”
The high level of rates is another concern for the couple. Ingrid said: “Our rates are around £17,000 a year.
“It is a huge amount for the privilege of being on the High Street. Someone selling jewellery online from their home pays nothing.
“It’s a huge pressure on businesses and I really think it needs to be looked at.”
However, despite the city centre challenges, the couple are upbeat about the future.
Graham said: “We firmly believe buying jewellery is a personal thing and there will always be people who want to come and try it on.
“This means we continue to be upbeat and optimistic for the future.”
Dundee Matters
The Courier has recently launched an initiative aimed at finding solutions for the city centre’s problems – Dundee Matters.
Our first focus is on the high streets and as part of that we are looking for you to have your say in our survey.
Your responses will help guide our high street summit we are set to host this May. It is event with a focus on finding solutions which can help reverse the trajectory of the city centre.
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