MARTEL MAXWELL: How Frasers Dundee opening showed me High Street beats online

The Courier

a day ago

'Here we go again', my middle son side-eyed his brothers.
'Mum's off on one.'
I'd spotted yet another gaping hole in his trainers.
They've heard it all before. 'What do you do with your shoes?'
'Why are you so hallikit?' (possibly a Dundonian term, essentially the opposite of light and nimble on your feet, I think)
'Money doesn't grow on trees… In my day, shoes were built to last.'
They've zoned out by 'hallikit'.
Worse, Chester needed a passable pair of trainers (the sole had also come away and was flapping around) for later that day for a sports fixture.
Even Amazon Prime wouldn't cut it.
Then it struck me. Talk of the new sports shop in town – along with a mecca of outlets and stores newly opened in Dundee's Overgate. And – the cherry on top of the bucking-the-high-street-decline-trend cherry? Frasers.
Long after Debenhams shut its doors in 2021 as part of the company's liquidation – leaving floors of sad, empty retail space – an actual department store with shiny cosmetic counters and rows of shoes was in place.
We've become so used to there not being credible options on the high street for what we need, our first thought is often 'how fast can it be delivered?'
But perhaps there was a chance of new trainers and goalie gloves which had also come away at the seams at the newly-opened Sports Direct.
I'd heard it had everything – even a small football pitch.
True, there already were shoe shops, but for kids the choice can be limited and I refuse to pay a fortune for trainers they'll grow out of or go through in months.
And so, the reasonably priced Nikes they like with no laces for sheer laziness – the Flex Runner, normally £28 to £35 and a third of the price of many alternatives – might be available. And joy, they were.
That's one mum's well-trodden story – the need to panic buy on any given day. Or it might be the desire to see and feel the fabric of an outfit for a special occasion; to speak to staff for reassurance on a perfume selection for your wife's birthday: the thrill of browsing colours and inhaling scents for a present for a friend.
The reasons that make people happy to shop are many.
And shop we must, for the Overgate is a paradise in comparison to what we've had these past few years, that we must support and keep thriving.
In an ideal world, the Wellgate and every high street store would be flying simultaneously but every dog has its day and the Overgate is having a second wind.
Frasers, with its 60,000 sq ft store space spanning three floors and creating 80 jobs, has far more than I imagined.
In the Beauty Hall, Charlotte Tilbury, Mac and Trinny London (marking its Frasers debut) join iconic mainstays like Dior and Estée Lauder.
Then in clothing there's Boss, Barbour, CP Company, Coach, Ugg and so much more.
Elsewhere in the centre, the lure of being the place to be has spread – with the likes of Mango and Clarks making welcome returns in their own units.
It feels unreal to have not only this choice, but the high end nature of it – for the fixtures, fittings and finishes are tremendous. Not only is the Overgate in the same ranks as many a bigger city's offering, when compared to the likes of the enormous and famous Metro Centre near Newcastle, it's less tired; more shiny and new.
The most astonishing thing is that Dundee seems to be the only place in the UK going against the tide of city centre retail shrinkage in such a big way.
On any given week, I could be in Carlisle, Stoke, Wolverhampton or Wales. I see seeds of hope in town centres but Covid accelerated the decimation of many a high street. Now, huge retail units – not least Debenhams – lie empty.
Dundee has lucked out from conditions leading to a perfect storm – a beautiful storm of fortitude.
For in stepped Mike Ashley, owner of Frasers – whose deal to buy the centre for £30million makes financial sense because he owns half the tenants – from Frasers to Jack Wills and Sports Direct.
So not only does he own the building, he doesn't have to pay rent for his own brands.
And he inherits sitting tenants like Five Guys, Toy Town and Lush, bringing in millions a year in rent.
It makes sense for him – and it's brilliant for us.
Down with the phones that promise fast delivery and choice. Nothing is faster than walking through a door and choosing.
Now we can and Dundee is all the better for it.