Hundreds of shops in Glasgow are to stay open later from next week in a bid to boost trade by putting the city on a footing with other European destinations.
The city's "style mile" is being transformed as more than 200 shops opt to keep their doors open until 7pm from Monday in a bid to increase business.
Retail chiefs say it is the first step in their campaign, which aims to keep shoppers on the street until 9pm to compete with other European cities.
Buchanan Galleries, St Enoch Centre, John Lewis, Princes Square and Hamleys have all signed up, as well as some independent stores.
Alongside House of Fraser and Debenhams, which already open until 7pm, this brings the number of shops opening later on the style mile to more than 200.
As reported earlier this year, retail chiefs hope the drive will upgrade and transform Glasgow's shopping industry and boost falling sales.
It is being led by Glasgow's City Centre Retail Association (CCRA) and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau (GCMB).
The move came after research found shoppers wanted more time to spend shopping in the city centre.
A similar campaign in Newcastle saw an increase of 17% in average consumer spend from 5pm to 8pm, with an estimated £247 million generated between 2010 and 2013.
Paul Mitchell, chairman of the CCRA, said he hoped stores would open until 9pm by next summer.
He said: "This initiative recognises the importance of late trading to the city's retailers and presents a significant opportunity to boost Glasgow's retail economy.
"It is the first step towards our ambition of stores opening until 9pm by next summer; aligning Glasgow with other European shopping hubs such as Paris, Milan and Barcelona and capitalising on the volume of people expected in the city for the Commonwealth Games."
Glasgow is the second biggest retail destination in the UK after London, with more than 1500 shops and 38,000 employees and it is worth £2.4 billion a year, according to research.
Councillor Gordon Matheson, leader of Glasgow City Council and chairman of GCMB, said the style mile was one of the country's most dynamic.
He added: "However, no city can afford to stand still, and city-centre retail faces significant competition from out-of-town shopping malls, rapid growth in online shopping and changes to consumer behaviour."
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stuart Patrick added: "There is undoubtedly increasing demand for longer opening hours with changes in people's lifestyle, and we need to ensure our city centre keeps ahead of its rivals by continuing to offer the best possible shopping and leisure experience."
Ryan James, chairman of Glasgow Restaurant Association, added: "Extended store opening hours is great news for Glasgow's night-time economy as it presents an ideal way of enticing shoppers, visitors and people finishing work to remain in the city centre and consider visiting the city's diverse variety of first-class restaurants, bars and entertainment venues."
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