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Savile Row shoe store gives street a leg-up

A SAVILE Row shoe shop is to open its first Scottish store in Edinburgh as the revival of a city centre street gathers pace.

Ladies footwear retailer Duo Boots - which boasts celebrity customers including Fern Britton and Dawn French - will open in Castle Street in the next few weeks.

It is the third boost for the street, where a controversial £2 million revamp was completed last year, following the opening of a Trailfinders outlet and an HSBC branch. Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov has also confirmed plans to open a branch of his Ukio Bankas bank in the street.

The Duo store is based around a "fitting room" concept, where customers' feet are measured by an expert before their chosen shoes are delivered to their home or workplace.

Like the Savile Row store, Duo will sell a range of footwear sourced from small, independent factories around Europe.

Duo was set up in Bath 30 years ago when husband and wife team Ted and Muffy Maltby started selling Italian shoes for women.

Last year Duo moved into Savile Row, establishing the "fitting room" concept. The firm also had a starring role during a major show at London Fashion Week.

Spokeswoman Sophie Baker said: "We're delighted to be able to confirm we'll be opening up in Edinburgh next month.

"We know from our online business that we have a strong customer base in Scotland, and we also took a roadshow to Edinburgh and Glasgow to see if there would be much demand for what we offer."

Duo has clinched a deal for an 11-year lease on a site at 8 Castle Street, formerly occupied by clothes shop Pilot, and the new store is expected to open during next month's Fringe.

Simon Bashford, surveyor with Jones Lang LaSalle Edinburgh, the agents who handled the deal, said: "Duo is a growing company which received significant attention at London Fashion Week.

"This deal is a major coup for Edinburgh and cements Duo's expansion plans for high-quality footwear retailing across the UK.

"Castle Street has seen a resurgence of activity with the flagship store for HSBC and another for Trailfinders opening in the past year." The revamp of Castle Street, which has seen the lower section closed to traffic and new paving and seating brought in, took more than a year to complete.

It has regularly played host to continental-style markets since its unveiling last May. Councillor Tom Buchanan, the city's economic development leader, said: "We welcome the arrival of such an innovative company. I am confident a branch in Castle Street will bring in plenty of business and I hope this will encourage other traders to open stores in the Capital."

This article: http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1048542007

Last updated: 05-Jul-07 11:10 GMT