V&A Dundee to provide a boost to local retailers

WATERFRONT: City jeweller hopes to benefit from hundreds of thousands of new visitors

Dundee jeweller Lorraine Law can’t wait for the V&A museum of design to open its doors to the public in the city in September.

The businesswoman said she and other retailers will all have a real opportunity to capitalise on the huge visitor numbers expected to be drawn by the new attraction.

Lorraine said: “As I work in the area of design, I was delighted when I first heard the news of the V&A coming to Dundee.

“That seems so long ago now, and so much has happened since the initial announcement.

“The changes in the waterfront have been breathtaking and the V&A itself looks great in its setting by the river.

“Dundee has a long history of excellence in design – from the traditional textile industry, graphic design, art, my own sector – jewellery, through to the new computer games sector.

“The recognition by Unesco of Dundee as a city of design is well deserved and hearing Dundee mentioned alongside cities like Bilbao, Turin and Dubai reflects how far the city has come in the last few years.”

Lorraine, who specialises in bespoke jewellery design, said: “My shop is in Union Street – the main street leading down to the V&A – and already there is a real buzz in the area.

“Having already benefited from the custom of some of the workmen and with hundreds of thousands of visitors expected to the museum each year, businesses like mine have a real opportunity to capitalise on that.

“I’m hoping we can attract visitors up to Union Street and the rest of the city centre.”

Lorraine Law’s shop is a two-minute walk from V&A Dundee.