Good news possibly coming for empty Perth City Centre store

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Perth city centre traders could be heartened to see a new tenant for the closed Beales/McEwens department store building. This week, the director of a property consultancy gave the PA a positive heads up that two companies were “strongly interested” in leasing the boarded-up retail premises, a keystone site close to St John’s Kirk that has the power to alter the fortunes of traders adjacent to it.There appears to be a possibility of good news on the horizon following Alan Stewart, director of Glasgow-based Breck Sutherland Property Consultants, claiming he has two “strongly interested” parties, both hoping to take on the sleeping giant.City Centre SNP councillor Eric Drysdale said: “It is really concerning to see the number of vacant properties currently on St John Street.“This is causing much reduced footfall, obviously, which will be placing increased financial pressures on the businesses that remain.“It follows that new tenants in the former McEwens/Beales property and indeed the former Lakeland and other units would be welcomed with open arms.“I am aware of some potential interest in certain units and I would continue to encourage the current Tory-led council in its final 12 weeks to do more to help broker deals so that this attractive retail and leisure street can return to its maximum potential, especially with the close proximity of the soon-to-be-new-home of Scotland’s Stone of Destiny at the City Hall.” The former Perth Beales store, part of the independent market town department store Beales group, closed in March 2020.

KPMG administrators advised at the time all 23 Beales stores across the UK had shut. Today, after almost two years of laying empty, the building shows signs of deterioration having been without