By Ian McConnell

A family jeweller in Aberdeenshire has been able to retain all 30 of its staff with the backing of £120,000 of coronavirus business interruption loan funding from Royal Bank of Scotland.

Sinclairs in Inverurie, headed by father and daughter Ian and Debbie and founded in 1975, had to close its doors temporarily during the UK lockdown implemented in late March to slow the spread of coronavirus. The business reopened to the public at the end of June.

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Royal Bank noted the jeweller’s dine-in restaurant had enabled it to sign up to the UK Government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme, “bringing customers flocking back throughout August”. Sinclairs’ employees include goldsmith Steve Mitchell, who manages repairs and ring-design services.

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Mr Sinclair said: “At an incredibly uncertain time, Royal Bank of Scotland stepped in quickly to set up the support we needed to keep going, without asking us to jump through hoops. Thanks to them and our accountant, Alec Rennie, the whole process was seamless and really helped to ease the financial pressure we felt at the beginning of the pandemic.”