Guy & Beard at Glasgow Fort

Ahead of Independents’ Day on 4th July, Glasgow Fort is calling on locals to support its growing collection of independent retailers.

Since it opened in 2004, Glasgow Fort has supported a variety of independent retailers and restaurants, many of whom have been established and run by Glasgow locals.

As well as high street favourites including Zara, New Look and Next, Glasgow Fort is also home to a strong mix of independent retailers and restaurants, including Glasgow-based jeweler, S&S Argento, American-style gourmet restaurant, Bread Meats Bread, and Scottish urban pancake restaurant, Stack & Still.

Phil Goodman, centre director at Glasgow Fort, said: “Backing independent retailers and restaurants has always been so important to Glasgow Fort, and for the past 16 years we’ve seen a diverse range of local businesses and small independents flourish at the center.

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“We know our visitors love a mix of big brand names and alternative options when they visit us. That’s why we’re calling on the local community to support small and independent businesses ahead of Independents’ Day this weekend.”

Guy & Beard, a new concept barbers that is located in up-cycled shipping containers, has been at Glasgow Fort since February 2018. Co-founder, Usman Mohammed, started his first barbershop in a shipping container with no mains electricity or water for six months. Guy & Beard now has containers in five locations across Glasgow and Edinburgh, with a further three locations opening this summer.

Arti Mohammed, co-founder of Guy & Beard said: “We’re proud to be part of the independent businesses at Glasgow Fort. With restrictions starting to lift and social calendars filling up, we’re looking forward to welcoming more customers at our unique shipping container to help them look and feel their best for the summer ahead.”

Other independent retailers who have thrived at Glasgow Fort include newsagent, Fort News, which has been at the Centre since it opened almost 16 years ago, traditional family-owned Glasgow fish & chip restaurant Blue Lagoon, which opened in 2008, and South side family-run kids fashion boutique, Lollipop, which joined Glasgow Fort in December 2020.

The newest independent to open at Glasgow Fort is The Car Wash Company, which arrived in May. Specialists in eco-friendly car washing and valeting, the company was established in 2009 and has since cleaned over 500,000 cars, saving around 150 million litres of water – the equivalent of 60 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Independents’ Day UK, in partnership with Local Rewards, aims to support and promote independent retail businesses across the UK all year round, but with an annual focus on July 4th, ‘Independents’ Day’ itself. According to the organisers, independent retailers account for approximately 65% of the retail outlets in the UK and are at the heart of local communities throughout the country.

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