GLASGOW'S Style Mile will be transformed from next week as more than 200 shops opt to keep their doors open until 7pm.

 

From Monday the city's biggest retailers will begin to stay open later on weeknights in an attempt to boost business.

Retail chiefs say this is the first step in their campaign to try and keep shoppers on the streets until 9pm to compete with other European cities.

Retailers to sign up include Buchanan Galleries, St Enoch Centre, John Lewis, Princes Square and Hamleys, as well as some independent stores.

Alongside House Of Fraser and Debenhams, which already open until 7pm, this brings the number of shops opening later in the Style Mile of Sauchiehall Street, Buchanan Stret and Argyle Street to more than 200.

As reported in the Evening Times in May, retail chiefs hope the drive will upgrade and transform Glasgow's shopping industry and target falling sales.

It is being led by Glasgow's City Centre Retail Association and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau.

The move came after surveys found people want longer time to spend shopping in the city centre.

A similar campaign in Newcastle saw an increase of 17% in average consumer spend from 5-8pm, with an estimated £247million generated between 2010 and 2013.

Paul Mitchell, chairman of the City Centre Retail Association, said he hoped stores would open until 9pm by next summer.

He said: "This initiative recognises the importance of late trading to the city's retailers and presents a significant opportunity to boost Glasgow's retail economy.

"It is the first step towards our ambition of stores opening until 9pm by next summer, so aligning Glasgow with other European shopping hubs such as Paris, Milan and Barcelona. it will also help us capitalise on the volume of people expected in the city for the Commonwealth Games."

Glasgow is the second biggest retail destination in the UK after London, with more than 1500 shops, 38,000 employees and it is worth £2.4billion a year, according to research.

Councillor Gordon Matheson, leader of Glasgow City Council and chairman of the City Marketing Bureau, said the Style Mile was one of the country's "most dynamic" shopping areas.

He added: "However, no city can afford to stand still, and city centre retail faces significant competition from out-of-town shopping malls, rapid growth in online shopping and changes to consumer behaviour."

Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber Of Commerce, said: "There is undoubtedly an increasing demand for longer opening hours with changes in people's lifestyle.

"We need to ensure our city centre keeps ahead of its rivals by continuing to offer the best possible shopping and leisure experience."

The shops that will open late are:

Buchanan Galleries

Accessorize

Art

Austin Reed

BANK

Bare Minerals

Beautiful brows

Blue Inc

Boca 10

Boots

Boux Avenue

Build-a-Bear Workshop

Caffe Nero

Carphone Warehouse

Carwash Company

Claire's Accessories

Clinton Cards

Costa Coffee

Cosy Camper

Crocs

Cupcakery bakehouse

East

Eat

Ecco

EE

Ernest Jones

Food Gallery

Fragrance House

Fragrance Shop

Fred Perry

Fuel

Goldsmiths

H Samuel

H&M (Main)

H&M Divided

Holland & Barrett

Hollister

Hotter

Jacques Vert

Jessops

John Lewis

Jones Bootmaker

Joy

La Senza

Lakeland

Lego

Levi Strauss & Co

Lipsy

Magnolia

Mango

Manhattan Nails

MenKind

Millies Cookies

Miss Bubbilicious

Miss Selfridge

Moda in Pelle

Moss

Mr Pretzel

Ness

Next

O2

Oasis

Pandora

Perfume Shop

Phase Eight

Phones 4 u

Quiksilver

Quiz

Retail Academy

River Island

Rivive mobiles

Sainsburys

Sblended

Scribbler

Sky

Starbucks

Sunglass Hut

Supercuts

Swarovski

Swatch

The Entertainer

The Name Shop

Thomas Sabo

Thomson

Thornton's

Topman

Trade secret

Vanilla Vine

Vision Express

Vom Fass

Wallis

Warehouse

Whisky Shop

Yankee Scotland

Princes Square

Arran Aromatics

Dower & Hall

COS

Space NK

The Pen Shop

Le Creuset

Castle Galleries

Lacoste

Vivienne Westwood

French Connection

Illuminati

Manhattan Nails

Sassoon

Kurt Geiger

Belstaff

Crabtree & Evelyn

Argento

Ollie & Nic

Ted Baker

Whistles

Links of London

Jo Malone

Kiehl's

Reiss

Kimble's

Dwell

St Enoch Centre

Arran Aromatics

Aulds the Baker

Barratts

BHS

Blue Inc.

Body Shop

Boots

Boots Optician

Burtons

Cardland

Claires Accessories

Clinton Cards

Colors

Core

Costa Coffee

Debenhams

Disney Store

Dorothy Perkins

Drewdle

Ecco Shoes

Edinburgh Woollen Mill

Folli Follie

Fossil

Game

Garage Shoes

Greggs

H. Samuel

H&M

Hamleys

Henleys Sweets

Hotel Chocolat

Jackson the Tailor

JD Sports

Junior Station

Kimble's

Love Accessories

M & Co

Mama's & Papa's

Millies Cookies

Miss Diva

Modelzone

Moriconi

Nandos

Ness

O'Briens

Officers Club

Optical Express

Ortak

Papyrus

Perfume Shop

Pulp

Pure

Quiz

Rebel Rebel

Regis

Swatch

Tesco

Thomas Cook

Thomson

Thornton's

Tie Rack

Trespass

Truth

Utopia

Vision Express

Warren James

Wraps 4 U

Xile

Other locations

Apple

Ladbrokes

McDonalds

Rox

Schuh

Superdry

Wallis

Evans Cycles

Fat Face

Forever 21

Gap

House of Fraser

Marks & Spencer

Paperchase

TK Maxx (Argyle St)

TK Maxx (Sauchiehall St)