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SNOWFLAKE SHOPPING SPECTACULAR AND FREE HOPPER BUS FOR FESTIVE SHOPPERS TOMORROW NIGHT

Shops across Aberdeen city centre are to stay open later than usual tomorrow night (Thursday, December 1), as part of a ‘Snowflake Shopping Spectacular’ event, with special discounts and Christmas treats such as mulled wine and mince pies on offer.

To complete the experience and lighten the weight of all those bags, a free ‘retro’ Hopper bus will be ferrying Christmas shoppers around the city centre from 5pm to 9pm, connecting independent stores with the large shopping centres.

Additional winter lights have been put up in the city centre, lighting a path from Union Square along Guild Street, Stirling Street and The Green to St Nicholas Centre to promote added connectivity.

The Snowflake Shopping Spectacular, Hopper bus and lights have been organised by the Aberdeen Business Improvement District company (BiD) as part of this year’s enhanced Aberdeen City Winter Festival, offering shoppers easy access all the shopping areas across town.

Around 60 shops have signed up to the Shopping Spectacular event, including department stores, independent shops in the west end and George Street and the city’s main malls.

As well as making its debut on Thursday, the Hopper bus will also will run on Saturdays and Sundays in the run up to Christmas, operating every 20 minutes between 10am and 5pm.

In addition to the retro bus there will also be a standard First bus offering the service.

The bus route will start at Broad Street, moving to Union Street, Market Street, Guild Street, Bridge Street, Union Street, Rose Street, Chapel Street, Union Street, Union Terrace, Schoolhill, Upperkirkgate and back to Broad Street.

Hopper bus signs will be in place at each of the bus stops included in the route.

Local charities have also been invited to get involved with the festivities by signing up to be a traditional bus conductor for a day aboard the special bus, where they will be able to collect for their cause.

John Michie, chairman of the Aberdeen BiD said: “The Hopper bus is all about adding value to the already existing Winter Festival. Aberdeen has a variety of shopping areas covering the city centre, from The Bon Accord and St Nicholas Centres to the Merchant Quarter to Union Square to the west end, and the Hopper bus and the Snowflake Shopping Spectacular aims to encourage connectivity of these areas and for people to really be able to enjoy and make the most of all Aberdeen has to offer during their Christmas shopping.

“With the bus also being free we hope this will help people during the festive period and encourage more footfall in the city centre.”

Aberdeen City Council’s Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee Convener Councillor Kate Dean added: “With thousands of residents and visitors to the city expected to enjoy Aberdeen’s Winter Festival this free festive service is bound to be a real hit with shoppers.

“Retailers in all quarters of the city centre are sure to benefit as the free hop on and off bus will encourage shoppers to seek out other shops to buy their festive goodies. The fact that charities will also benefit from the service is also a fantastic idea.”

The additions to the Winter Festival are being funded by the BiD’s multi-million pound investment fund, of which the first levy payment from city centre businesses has been taken.

Under the BiD, city centre businesses with a rateable value of more than £27,500 pay a 1% levy to fund a variety of initiatives that will attract more footfall into the city centre by making it cleaner, safer and a more attractive place to live, work and invest.

The area covered by the BiD scheme stretches from Holburn Junction to King Street, and Union Square to George Street.

• For more information on the Snowflake Shopping Spectacular and the Hopper bus timetable, visit www.aberdeenbid.org

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