Scottish retail sales grew by 0.6 per cent in the three months to March, as Scotland struggled to keep pace with the British retail rates. Figures released on Wednesday by the Scottish Government showed the value of retail sales grew 0.6 per cent in the three months to 31 March, with volumes up just 0.3 per cent.

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Owners Ivanhoe Cambridge are reportedly looking to secure a sale of around £180 million for the Glaswegian shopping centre. According to a report by the BBC, Ivanhoe is looking to sell the St Enoch centre after purchasing the development eight years ago for £350 million under a joint venture with US firm Mills Corporation.

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Image credit: Land Securities
Set to be something of a retailing marathon, Land Securities has announced it will open a total of 2km of stores within 24 hours next March. As the largest commercial property company in the UK, Land Securities will open its Buchanan Street development in Glasgow on 22 March, just 24 hours after the launch of Trinity Leeds.

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High end organic and health food specialist Whole Foods has made a loss of £4.4 million for the year to 25 September 2011 across its UK operation. The Grocer on Tuesday reported that this compares with a £3.1 million loss in 2010, as records filed at Companies House show.

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Despite reporting a growth in retail sales for the first quarter, Scotland’s business leaders have warned that the state of the high streets remain “fragile” against challenging conditions. The latest Scottish retail index saw sales volumes rise 0.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2012, resulting in an annual growth rate of 0.6 per cent, marginally ahead of the UK’s overall 0.4 per cent rate.

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Retail guru and ‘Queen of Shops’ Mary Portas has teamed up yet again with House of Fraser, with a showcase of the best of British homeware design launching in April. The ten independent designers featuring in the collection are the result of a nationwide search for the best of British designers that culminated in a series of pitch sessions at the Interiors UK trade show at the NEC earlier this year.

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The department store has announced it will roll out four more Mary & House of Fraser shop-in-shops, following the success of the initial launch in 2011. House of Fraser stores in Westfield, Glasgow, Manchester and Guildford have been chosen to host the next Mary stores, with a launch date set for March.

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Dr Martens will unveil its first Scottish store in Glasgow’s St Enoch Centre next week. The iconic footwear brand will open on the ground floor of the centre in a 2,775 sqft location on 14 December. A range of both men’s and women’s products will be available, including the classic 1460 boots, fur-lined heels, coats, shirts and dresses.

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The department store welcomed two new Pandora store concessions this week, after the jeweller’s initial roll-out across London, Reading and Glasgow spaces went down a treat. House of Fraser in Birmingham and Wolverhampton unveiled the brand new franchised Pandora shop areas on Monday and Tuesday respectively.

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The world famous toy store will be spending this month in a fantasy dressing up box, as it takes it’s Let’s Play programme into autumn. Young shoppers will be able to transform into princesses, knights in shining armour, witches and magicians thanks to Hamleys' Let’s Play Make Believe.

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