Scotland’s iconic ‘Harrods of the Highlands’ unveils growth plans as sales top £53 million
The 30-year-old retail and tourism venture has also seen a significant increase in trade from the US.
The House of Bruar, the famous Perthshire clothing, food and tourism emporium, is poised to grow its footprint after sales topped £53m million last year.
The retail landmark near Blair Atholl - often labelled the “Harrods of the Highlands” - said it had benefited from the opening of new departments at its main site during 2024. Building work is currently underway to provide an extra 10,000 square feet of retail space and 10,000 sq ft of office and photographic studio space.
This year marks the venture’s 30th anniversary after Mark and Linda Birkbeck opened the doors to House of Bruar in the spring of 1995. It now attracts some two million people to the retail site , which is located just off the busy A9.
Providing an update on trading, the company - which employs more than 350 people from the local area - said that in the year to January 2025, turnover had exceeded £53m, with strong underlying earnings despite the retail sector facing a number of headwinds.
Retail is at the heart of the business and Mark and Linda learned their trade working on market stalls, before setting up a shop in the Lake District and then further developing a chain of shops called Jumpers. The direct shopping aspects of the business came later and now account for over half of the turnover for the House of Bruar.
The direct shopping channels grew by 25 per cent during 2024, with significant increases coming from trade in the US, where the company has just started to “explore and test new avenues”. The business is said to have experienced good growth in the spring and summer due to an increased number of catalogues being produced, described as a “relatively embryonic route” to the market.
The main challenges faced by the company during the period include recruiting new staff, along with the upcoming increases in the minimum wage and employers’ national insurance, which are likely to cost the company in excess of £1m.
It added: “The dualling of the A9 is viewed as a significant opportunity to grow the retail business when it happens. The company is also moving towards the implementation of a charging solution for EV chargers.”
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