Dundee City Centre is returning to life, with footfall in the first week of shops reopening rising by nearly 30,000 people compared to the previous seven days.
The figure is being welcomed by a senior councillor who is encouraging people to stay safe while they visit the centre and to support local businesses.
According to figures collated by the city council, 68,213 people came to the city centre during week beginning Monday June 29, which follows 40,489 the previous week.
City development convener Councillor Alan Ross said: “I am encouraged by these early figures which show that people are keen to return to our city centre and are now doing so following months of restrictions.
“The council has been working hard with partners and businesses to prepare for this and we will see more doors opening over the coming weeks.
“While I want to see a kick start to our local economy, I cannot stress highly enough that we all need to stay safe and look after each other.
“Face coverings should be worn in shops and physical distancing should be observed.
“We have put bright floor markings in place to underline the message, while the pedestrian layout of the centre means there is lots of space for people.
“I know that our retail and hospitality businesses are raring to go and the council will continue to work with them as we emerge from lockdown.”
The city has been promoting a “welcome back, stay safe” message as retail and hospitality businesses in the city centre and across Dundee start the process of rebuilding following the closures imposed to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
Developments to assist businesses includes a new marketing campaign and the exploration of a virtual marketplace, as well as radio links to the ambassadors and increased cleaning regimes.
Some of the busier city centre streets have specially-created “sunny Dundee” floor markings to encourage distancing and safe pedestrian flows.
That includes people being asked to stay on the left footpath wherever possible to encourage physical distancing.
The council has also been also working with bars, coffee shops and eateries to ensure appropriate additional outdoor seating is available when those businesses are able to reopen from next week.
Also, a city-wide partnership led by UNESCO City of Design Dundee and supported by Halley Stevensons, local makers, and One City, Many Discoveries has produced a unique Sunny Dundee face covering.
These are being sold from locations across the city, including Quirky Coo, Dock Street Studios, Maisie & Mac, and Birchwood Café & Emporium.
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
