Going greener could cost House of Bruar millions

Perthshire retail and food outlet the House of Bruar – billed “the Harrods of the Highlands” – said it has been quoted millions of pounds to install electric vehicle charging facilities.

The family-owned firm, which has 300 staff, saw its income increase by 15 per cent to reach £45 million in the year to January 31, 2024, with the jump mainly attributed to the expansion in direct shopping channels, which now account for half of turnover.

It said in its annual results that it planned to expand but, while it is keen to provide electrical vehicle charging points to enhance the service on the A9, a recent quote estimated the costs of providing power to the site to be £4m “because of the lack of capacity in the network infrastructure”.

A “significant” development during 2023 highlighted was the launch of the first spring/ summer catalogue, which House of Bruar explained enabled it to keep in contact with customers during a quieter period.

The clothing, food and tourism emporium said it is “fully committed” to growing not only direct shopping, but also retail, with work having started at the distribution centre to allow the building of two more facilities, which will “allow areas of storage at Bruar to be transformed into retail areas creating new departments and expansion of current ranges”. Other new areas for retail include updated restaurant facilities to provide a larger menu, extra car parking, and new linen and summer ranges in ladieswear.

As for the macroeconomic backdrop, it said: “The state of the economy is a concern for the business looking towards 2024, which will not be helped by the uncertainty created by elections, both domestically and internationally.”