This image is part of the promotion and incentive to shop in Perth video. The camera never lies, however it can be used to distort the truth for your own ends. The area in front of the shop is one of the main approaches to the town centre of Perth.



In the daylight the featured shop from the promotion of Perth is an abandoned bakery at the end of the Queens bridge. The building in question has been empty for most of the last five years. What's wrong then when a highly visible building with  passing trade lies empty on the main approach to the town of Perth. 

Perfect for Shopping?

December in Perthshire, all was quiet in the big county. Thoughts of Christmas spring to mind. The happy people in the town hall dreamed their happy thoughts of building big gardens, the chamber people planned their Christmas lunch.

Perfect for shopping?

There's an advert on Tv for shopping in Perth at Christmas. One of the stock ones STV knocks out on the cheap, perhaps you've seen it. Camera pans through the shopping centre at high speed, attempting to hide the brand names on the shops. After the speedy part we are told "Perth - Perfect for Shopping". Visit perthcity.co.uk. The website is an area that hasn't made the effort to display the shops in Perth in their best light. Shame on the Perth Partnership for a half hearted attempt to promote the town. It was also spotted that the Perth Partnership used out of town designers and printers for their promotional efforts. The Perth Partnership is part of the ex-Directors network. Had your turn on the Chamber board, stay at the Perth Partnership until it's your turn again.

Never mind! Let's go shopping in Perth.

Parking in the centre of Perth's a bitch at the best of times. Three times round the town on a Wednesday afternoon looking for space makes the blood boil. More direct action is required. We passed scores of "Den poachers" hanging around the car parks waiting for people to leave. Stay mobile and cruising quickly is the only was to catch a space. The "Den poachers" are static and unable to move quickly. Space taken and it's 50p for half hours parking. Other options are 60p per hour, slightly better. There are better more cost effective methods for parking, that remain our secret. The exercise was to park the car in the style of a visitor.

Made it through the difficulties of parking anywhere near the shops. Evaded the den poachers in the car parks. Onward and upward in search of the Perfect shopping experience. The shops in the town are made up from the usual high street brands and a host of more specialised local traders. Theres no WOW factor to differentiate shopping in Perth from any other town in Scotland. Without this special pull Perth needs to think carefully about promotion and advertising of the town centre.

Cheap advert, outdated website and printed brochures refuse to merge together and produce the message that Perth is the Perfect place to shop. The Perth and Kinross parking plan is a barrier to shopping in the city centre. These factors added together would partly explain the abundance of empty retail units around the town centre.

The shops in Perth are staffed by some excellent people who are not afraid to climb step ladders, hunt in the store rooms for requested items and provide advice on special offers. The companies that employ these people should be proud that their staff are pleased to help. With a little imagination from the council and city centre organisations it would be possible to say Perth was perfect for shopping.