A steering group has been launched to give a stronger voice to independent business owners in Perth city centre.
The Perth Traders Association was set up following a series of talks in the wake of the McEwens collapse earlier this year.
The department store’s closure in March shook up the local business community and triggered call for improvements.
The new association is aimed rallying businesses together and working towards common goals.
One avenue being investigated is a marketing campaign and slogan for Perth, similar to the successful Glasgow’s Miles Better brand.
The idea – to have the city recognised as a hub for independent shopping – was raised at a meeting between shop owners and local MP John Swinney and MSP Pete Wishart.
Keith Fergie, who runs the city’s PC Solutions, has been appointed chairman of the traders’ association. He said: “The main aim is to get people and local businesses working together.
“There are new shops opening up all of the time, which is great to see, and there is a real buzz about the place. But what we need to do is provide businesses with cohesive voice and help them engage with respective agencies such as the Chamber of Commerce and Perth and Kinross Council.”
He said members would be encouraged to use new technologies to promote their businesses and make them more accessible.
Mr Swinney, who met association members on Friday, said: “One of the things that came out of the meeting that Pete Wishart and I held at the end of May was a real desire, on behalf of the traders, to use the individual strength, capability and attractiveness of all independent traders in Perth to create a cumulative identity for the city – to make it a recognised place of independent business.
“There is such a range of strong, independent businesses that are able to contribute to the wider Perth economy and I think that’s what I think is a really good measure to emerge from these discussions.”
Mr Swinney said: “There’s a whole combination of measures we can look at taking forward, including ways of marketing the city and making it more attractive.
“But fundamentally, you need a good retail core to be the foundation of the business proposition and that is clearly available here in the city of Perth and we need to be making the most of it.”
The association already has about 30 members. Its next meeting will be held on August 16.
