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There are lots of good local businesses I patronise, but national chains have a place - especially as they provide jobs.
Aren’t most of the ‘mountain’ shops in Aviemore part of chains? It’s an odd place; I’ve been going there for 30 years and my mum only lives 20 odd minutes away and yet some of part of my mind thinks next time I go I’ll discover a road off to the left I’d never noticed before leading to the real town centre.
Convert - the bike shops aren’t.
Yup, Blacks, Ellis Brigham, Nevis Sport.
Good local businesses.
edit: fair point on the bike shops. Can't see Bothy Bikes would have much to worry about given the standard of most Alpine Bikes.
People just like to moan about this kind of thing. If local, independent businesses want to survive they need to offer something people want rather than just bleating about big chains putting them out of business.
The bike shops are independent. I *think* that the shop under the mountain cafe is independent, but of the other 2 I am aware of from the last 5 years or so, one closed and the building has now been demolished and the other is now an ice cream parlour.
Blacks, Ellis Brigham, Nevis Sport and Mountain Warehouse all provide local jobs though.
And what's better? A chain that compete and provide stable jobs, or valiant local enterprise that is unable to be sustained?
<p>Aye, the bike shop staff just get trails permenantly shut down. When was the last time an SDA was run at Alvie? That aside, Alpine are aimed at a specific segement, I doubt any local businesses worth their salt are going to be too worried.</p><p></p><p>Of course being a national chain they won't employ anyone local in the shop either, that would be silly.</p>
Bothy Bikes will be fine, not sure about Mike's Bikes Trek franchise though. The customer service is interesting in their at the best of times though.
Yes, sorry, bikes are independent. Bothy bikes are good, Mike’s I’ve not had so positive experience of and save the jobs would not be a great loss.
The moutain cafe and Cairngorm Mountain shop below are good examples of quality local businesses though- catering to a different market to the chains. Neither would be threatened by a Tiso or a Costa.
The other independent ski shop closed last year when Tiso announced they were moving in.
Tiso are, of course, under the control of JD Sports, as is Blacks.
The other independent ski shop closed last year when Tiso announced they were moving in.
They closed because they heard that Tiso were moving in? The unit that is now the Ice Cream Parlour?
Similar issues in our town. The local chamber of trade hate anything new coming in, Next and M&S are looking at coming in and once again one of the loudest voices is from the guy who owns a chip shop. The same guy who complained about McD’s coming as he said it that the local kids would get fat. Soon after that they announced the high school was moving to outside of town, guess who complained about losing trade because of that? Yes the same guy who complained about kids eating McD’s.
Funny thing is the town is growing there’s 100s of more houses being built, we’ve had 3 supermarkets move in the last 10 years, an Argos, Screw-fix and other places. The town centre which was on it’s backside is now filling up with independent shops selling to a different market.
Heard an interesting point of view on the radio saying that we should rejoice the demise of retail on the high street and embrace a return to high streets centred on more social things.... which I think means more pubs, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, galleries, theatres etc
This was in regards to national chains closing on the high street though... I'm not sure where local shops fit in to that viewpoint. ( other than them being for local people and they'll have no trouble there)
People just like to moan about this kind of thing. If local, independent businesses want to survive they need to offer something people want rather than just bleating about big chains putting them out of business.
That's fair enough, but when it comes to the crunch cost, which independents can't compete with the chains for, reigns supreme.
Just look at the number of PSA posts that appear on here for cheap shit.
Complaining about people whinging about that fact is fine if you're the type of person that does 80% of their shopping at Tesco.
For me I just can't get my head round the business model for opening a Tiso in Aviemore.
Iv been going there every year since I had stabilizers on my bike and skied as a nipper.
Every year it's the same story, more shops closing down, the winter season is in turmoil hire shops struggling through the ski season.
Most of the outdoor shops are just full of sale rails most of the time and the shops full of tourists looking at kit just to get out of the rain. No-one actually buying anything.
If you are in anyway a serious outdoors enthusiast, you very well like me might use Tiso, I have always bought my kit from them as i trust their knowledge and Experience, and the wifes 20% helps.(I was in the Hearld's artical on the Outdoor Experience Glasgow opening back in 2000. I was the wee kid high on the climbing wall. Claim to fame)
You like me will have all your kit sorted before you get to aviemore and worse case, like me had to make a pit stop to the Perth store en route as I forgot a map once.
Ok I get you might have forgotten the odd item or need some more gas but that's not a strong case to start a new store on.
Blacks opened up a new store a couple of years ago at the top of the town. Iv never seen it busy.
I just don't get it. But only time will tell. All this talk of Aviemore has me now thinking of all the epic trails up there. Need to get back ASAP.
I'd guess that serious outdoor enthusiasts are a relatively small part of Tiso's (and any other outdoor shop's) clientele. There must be more money to be made from selling fashionable Goretex jackets to a bigger market of casual users. There must be a lot of tourists who pitch up in Aviemore on their summer tour of Scotland, want to go for a stroll, and discover it is a bit colder and wetter than they expected!
The shop right at the start on the LHS as you come in from the South, Mountain Sports?, was really good. Closed a few years back IIRC. Spent £1000s there over the years....
kcr basically has it.
The cheap fleeced on the racks near the doors are for the coach loads who arrive in Aviemore and do a quick circuit of the shops.
The cheap waterproofs are bought by glampers when they discover it sometimes rain.
North Face and Jack Wolfskin are primarily bought by folk in self-catering or B&B and are just fashion items.
The occasional high-end purchase is likely to be a local or someone on holiday who has damaged/lost/forgotten something.
(I worked in Blacks for a while - I've seen how it works)
As regards this particular outlet there's more being said about it being yet another outdoors shop rather than it's a bigger company. Aldi are about to open next door and no one has whinged about that.
@footflaps - the one under the Aktive Cafe? Yeah - gone now. Planning application for flats.
I'm still sulking about the removal of Santa Claus Land....
what about your brewers fayre thats coming also ......
to be fair i think aviemore is better than most places for managing to maintain a localish ethos for a long time but unfortunately folk have worked out its a cash cow.
the only thing that i know friends who live and work in aviemore have wanted for a long time is an alternative to tesco or driving many miles - but i guess careful what you wish for.
as for the outdoor shops - i find it interesting that the only shop that seems to have a decent level of quality kit seems to be the only one i ever see anyone buying anything in.
both blacks and mountain warehouse seem to sell disposable junk.
The shop under MC always seems to have people passing through and quite often either staff helping or staff serving folks at the till. hell i nearly bought ski boots the last time i was there , unfortunately the size i needed was not available - id not have even considered that in blacks.
On the bright side, we now have a 24hr M&S food store at the filling station and a Costa.
Pants though. Pants are the big thing in Aviemore. Whenever there's a new outlet opens the locals complain that there's nowhere to buy pants (other than thermal or merino I guess)
Young Mr Tiso was trying to beef up his local credentials when this was announced by telling everyone that his dad used to walk and climb in the area 😁
The shop planners from JDS/Tiso also visited Mike's Bikes new hire place, anonymously of course, taking notes and photos. It's just a shame someone recognised them 🤣
Spending money in outdoor shops is Plan B when it is too rainy to head into the hills or when I am too hungover from the night before. I will, inevitably, spend money in Tiso there.
I pulled into Tiso in Perth a couple of weeks ago to buy some new lightweight walking boots. I waiting 15 mins but no-one would serve me and the guy I asked for help went in the stock room and never came back. I walked out in a huff and pulled into Craigdon Mountain Sport in Edinburgh instead. Knowledgeable guy, no queue, good range. They got my money. I was happy.
I go to Aviemore fairly regularly as my sister lives near Nethy Bridge; I don't think I've ever bought anything in an outdoor shop there, but my brother-in-law used to work in Mountain Spirit so I know that some tourists used to spend huge amounts on top end kit - kitting out their wife for their first skiing trip by spending lots of £££.
the only thing that I know friends who live and work in Aviemore have wanted for a long time is an alternative to Tesco
I remember when there was no Tesco!
Though there was a Pizzaland, with an exceptional waitress named Ingrid. I also remember several families in matching track suits, so I'm thinking late 80s/early 90s.
Those were the days!
It just adds to all the other chain outdoor shops in Aviemore for me. If it means more employment opportunities then I see it as a good thing. I think that the local bike shops will still get the business of mountain bikers, but I can see Alpine Bikes grabbing a chunk of the rental market for visitors who just want to hire a bike and head to Rothiemurchus for a couple of hours which is a shame.
Unrelated - I noticed that the folks at Silverglades are retiring and selling off all their bungalows after October.
y'know
i dont think i could find mikes bikes without asking someone. I'm sure its fictional.
how ever i do know where bothy bikes are/were past and present and when i need stuff in the area i spend there 🙂
I remember when there was no Tesco!
Spar used to be stripped bare around Xmas each year!
It's a bit daft to worry about things in Aviemore being local or not local. Prior to the 60s it was just a few railway cottages, a couple of Victorian hotels and some estate workers. The town has grown from a dot on the map since then (for better or worse) through incomers and incoming businesses. The majority of people in Aviemore can trace their ancestry no further back to a liaison between an Australian ski instructor and a Glaswegian hen night.
Now Grantown-on-Spey - that's a place where a gene pool hasn't deepened for hundreds of years
🙂
It was Mountain Spirit that jacked it in once they'd heard Tisos were coming to town. Shame, it was a good shop - top quality range of gear (also top dollar though.)
Tisos are good too, in my experience (of their Rose St shop anyway).
I'd be pissed off if Cairngorm Mountain sports was put out of business.
from what i see looking at the job boards tiso/alpine are struggling to entice a workshop manager to the aviemore store ....
the jobs been posted a few times with the job spec getting less and less each time from what i see.
I’m still sulking about the removal of Santa Claus Land….
I've got a vague memory of trundling through a deserted, post apocalyptic landscape on the Santa Claus Land train. I'm pretty sure we were the only people there.
It was Mountain Spirit that jacked it in once they’d heard Tisos were coming to town.
That’s a shame - but I do like ice cream.
Sorry, did I say ice cream, I meant Gelato!!
As regards this particular outlet there’s more being said about it being yet another outdoors shop rather than it’s a bigger company. Aldi are about to open next door and no one has whinged about that.
Which seems a pretty reasonable concern.
@scotroutes - Aviemore isn't only place in Highlands with a pants problem. I think you should run a winter pants delivery service - use that trailer and van for a longer season*.
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*Leaves thread wide open for a perchypun....
As long as no one closes the Bridge Inn or the brewery, I'm good...
<span style="text-align: left; color: #222222; text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; word-spacing: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: #eeeeee; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Pants though. Pants are the big thing in Aviemore. Whenever there’s a new outlet opens the locals complain that there’s nowhere to buy pants (other than thermal or merino I guess)</span>
A nightmare I know.
Have you ever tried buying essential kit in Portree on a Friday morning?
Eejit here once forgot to pack casual trousers when heading for Harris and didn't fancy hanging around the hostel in Leverburgh in soggy wet hiking trousers, or my works trousers. I now have a pair of Edinburgh Woolen Mill Cords hidden away in the back of the wardrobe as it was all I could find.
Ok they're not hidden and I still wear them.