A MAJOR high street retailer is to open a flagship Glasgow store after closing two existing locations.
Holland & Barrett specialises in health foods, vitamins and protein shakes and has hundreds of stores nationwide.
And after the closure of two smaller stores in Scotland’s largest city, the retailer is relocating staff to the new branch.
A spokesperson said: “H&B currently has three smaller stores in Glasgow city centre.
“We are always reviewing our locations to ensure we can offer our customers the very best wellness advice products and services.
“We plan to open a new flagship store in Glasgow to replace our two smaller stores on Sauchiehall Street and Buchanan Street.
“This will bring together our biggest range alongside our expertly trained colleagues to create a fantastic wellness destination in Glasgow city centre.
“Our colleagues will relocate to this new store or one of our other eight stores in and around Glasgow.
“This is part of our store transformation programme where we are investing over £40m into our store refresh and refurb programme (initially in the UK&I), with over 300 of our stores being refitted already in the past two years.”
The closure was the latest bombshell to hit the city‘s once-bustling Sauchiehall Street.
The iconic thoroughfare once welcomed shoppers from across the country for a day of retail, entertainment, food and drink.
A Holland and Barrett insider revealed Glasgow shoppers have been avoiding the “depressing” shopping area resulting in the store’s demise.
They said: “The store has suffered a dramatic slump in footfall since regeneration work began in September.
“The area is depressing, it’s a building site, no wonder people don’t want to shop here.”
“The famous street has been ripped apart, trees have been cut down and public seating removed – it’s a ghost town.”
It comes after the Scottish Sun visited the once-thriving shopping street after it beat Barcelona and San Francisco as one of the best cities in the world
And locals had their say on the dramatic downfall.
Fireman Alex Muir, 63, said: “said: “Sauchiehall Street looks like it’s been bombed.”
Retiree Isabelle Crombie, 68, from Shawlands had a scathing four-word blast about the state of the place.