Glasgow to offer £5,000 grants to independent high street retailers

Glasgow City Council will attempt to give their high street a boost by providing independent retailers with grants (£5,000 for double units and £3,000 for single units) so they can improve their shops.

The council hopes the money will be used to redecorate and improve signage, lighting, window displays or replace damaged tiles.

It is hoped that these improvements will enhance the appeal of the area to visitors, customers and local residents and contribute towards business and consumer confidence.

This project is part of the wider High Street Area Strategy (HSAS), a five-year plan to redevelop this historic quarter and support small businesses and the local economy.

The area is home to around 6,000 people and features a host of attractions such as the Barras, Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow Green, the Necropolis, Provand’s Lordship, the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, the Tollbooth Steeple, and key locations on the Glasgow City Centre Mural Trail, as well as independent shops and traders, artists’ studios, bars, restaurants, the Glasgow City Innovation District and the Tontine centre of innovation.

Cllr Angus Millar, deputy city convener for economic growth at Glasgow City Council and chair of the High Street Reference Group, said: ‘The Independent Retail Fund is an important part of our strategy to regenerate the High Street area in Glasgow.

‘This particular type of support can be crucial in attracting and keeping independent shops in the area, boosting the local economy and ensuring it develops into a vibrant quarter of Glasgow that is a great location to live and work in, as well as visit. We will work with any eligible local retailer who is interested in using this fund to improve their business.’