Perth’s leaders have been warned its staging of major events could spark the destruction of the city’s independent retail sector.
Rather than bringing much-needed trade, the one-off festivities are actually discouraging custom, it has been claimed.
Retailers have blown the whistle on what they describe as “major failings” in the organisation of events, such as the Queen’s Baton Relay celebrations.
They have revealed a catalogue of issues, including blocked-off streets and excessive noise driving away customers.
Some have also claimed the annual Independent’s Week initiative, aimed at promoting smaller businesses, has been met with ambivalence by local representatives.
The Courier understands just two councillors volunteered to spend the day with participating retailers.
Meanwhile, in the last week alone, at least four independent businesses have disappeared from the city, including Caffe Rocco and Mac and Posh, while fashion store Indigo will close when its lease runs out later this month.
Since gaining city status, Perth and Kinross Council has focused on bringing more events to the city centre to drive footfall and attract tourists.
New figures claim as many as 17,000 people may have visited during the Queen’s Baton Relay event. However, retailers have disputed this, questioning the benefits of such efforts.
Dougie MacGregor, co-owner of Scottish Seasons, on St John Street, described the day as a “bit of a damp squib”.
“An increase in footfall is all very well but it’s actual sales that we need,” he said.
“There is no correlation between the two. The relay may have brought people in but they weren’t spending any money. The challenge we have is trying to convert this footfall into trade.”
He told The Courier efforts to capitalise on the festivities were hindered by excessive noise.
“We had a dance troupe, a Ghanaian steel drum band and pipe band all outside,” he continued.
“In such an enclosed space, the noise was just bouncing off the walls. I downloaded software on my phone and it measured levels as high as 101db.”
This resulted in a significant downturn in trade for Margot Dempsey, owner of Imprimo fashion retailer on South St John’s Place. After several customers walked out of the shop, she felt moved to make a complaint about the noise.
She added: “I couldn’t stand it it was actually making me feel ill. The whole thing achieved the exact opposite of what the council were trying to do.
“Events like this work in bigger cities because they already have that buzz and larger population Perth has a totally different feel to it.
“I think they need to spend more money on promoting Perth’s strengths than bringing celebrities here. The city has so much to offer but the council isn’t focusing enough on that.”
Meanwhile, on George Street, businesses had the completely opposite problem.
They have blamed signs and cones placed at the bottom of High Street for acting as a physical barrier for shoppers and dissuading them from exploring the town further.
Laura Wilson, whose family has run Whispers of the Past for 30 years, said: “When I looked at my sales figures from the same date last year, I just wanted to weep.”
A spokesperson from Perth and Kinross Council said the local authority has made “substantial” investments in attracting visitors to the city centre.
They continued: “Where possible, we support local businesses by offering training opportunities and promoting events, such as Perth Independent’s Week, which celebrated small independent business and their contribution to the local economy.
“Events and markets draw more people into Perth and the council will continue to work with retailers to explore what they themselves may wish to do to capitalise on this increased footfall.
“However, we would encourage local businesses to look at what other opportunities are available to them to grow and develop their business.”