EE’s Experience Local Store Brings Innovation and Small Business Revival to Elgin

EE’s Experience Local Store Brings Innovation and Small Business Revival to Elgin

(IN BRIEF) EE has opened its first Experience Local store in Scotland, returning to Elgin’s high street after the sudden closure of the St Giles Centre forced the brand and 14 other businesses to leave their outlets earlier this year. The new store combines technology retail with community support through its ‘Elgin Retail Revival’ pop-up space, which gives displaced local traders an opportunity to showcase their products monthly. EE maintained a presence in Elgin with a mobile store before opening the new permanent site, part of its broader £3 million investment to revamp its UK retail network. The store offers interactive tech experiences, advice from EE Guides, and community-oriented programmes. Local brands Smadug and Covesea Candles are the first small businesses to feature in the initiative.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 10-Oct-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — EE has officially opened its new Experience Local store in Elgin, northeast Scotland, marking the first of its kind in the country. The launch comes just months after the St Giles Centre unexpectedly closed, forcing EE and 14 other local businesses to vacate their premises. The new store not only restores EE’s permanent presence on Elgin’s high street but also offers vital support to small local traders still recovering from the closure.

In January, a total of 15 businesses were displaced when the St Giles Centre shut down with little warning. Since then, only four have managed to find new locations, while many others have shifted online due to rising rental costs, losing their direct connection with local customers.

EE maintained its service to the community during this period by operating a temporary mobile truck in the town centre. The company has now unveiled a permanent, next-generation retail space designed to deliver immersive, hands-on experiences with the latest connected technologies, guided by expert in-store advisers known as EE Guides. The Elgin location represents a key step in EE’s new retail strategy, which emphasizes innovation, personalised service, and community engagement across its UK store network.

To help fellow traders who lost their outlets, the store includes a dedicated pop-up initiative called the ‘Elgin Retail Revival’ display cart. This in-store feature will host displaced local businesses one weekend each month, providing them with a physical space to showcase their products and reconnect with the local community — particularly during the busy run-up to Christmas.

Asif Aziz, Retail Director at EE, said:

“We’ve worked tirelessly to give the people of Elgin a permanent destination for their tech needs, and this new store truly raises the bar. After operating from a temporary truck for months to stay connected to our customers, it felt only right to extend that same helping hand to other local traders who’ve faced similar challenges.”

The first featured business in the Elgin Retail Revival programme is Smadug, a Scottish-inspired clothing brand that previously operated in the St Giles Centre and has since moved online. Smadug will showcase its products in-store from today until 11 October. In November, Covesea Candles, a local stone candle crafting brand, will take over the display from 29 November, with December’s participating business to be announced soon.

Sharon Davidson, Owner of Smadug, commented:

“The closure of the St Giles Centre was devastating for small retailers in Elgin. Being able to reconnect with customers in person is invaluable for us, as it lets people experience the quality of our products first-hand. We’re delighted to return to the high street through EE’s Elgin Retail Revival initiative.”

Beyond supporting small businesses, the Experience Local store serves as a community technology hub, where EE Guides offer expert advice on connected technologies and digital safety — including smartphone use for young people. The initiative aligns with EE’s wider goal of revitalising local retail and strengthening community ties.

The opening of the Elgin store follows the launch of an Experience store in Glasgow last week, marking EE’s ongoing investment of £3 million in physical retail across the UK. The company plans to roll out both Experience and Experience Local stores nationwide between May 2025 and March 2026, reinforcing its long-term commitment to the UK high street.

The new Elgin store is located at 107–109 High Street, Elgin, IV30 1EA.

About EE 

EE is one of UK’s largest subscription businesses, backed by the UK’s biggest and fastest mobile network, offering superfast connections in more places than any other operator.

Built on the foundation of decades of mobile and broadband leadership, EE is on a mission to be the most personal and customer-focused brand in the UK by playing a more meaningful role in customers’ lives, with a suite of exciting products and services open to all UK consumers, available via a new ‘EE ID’ digital platform.

EE’s mobile network continues to receive extensive recognition including UK’s best overall network by RootMetrics® every year since 2014, as well as being named Network of the Year at the 2022 Mobile Industry Awards.

EE is committed to offering first class service in the industry and has over 400 stores across the UK. EE remains the only mobile provider to answer 100% of customer calls in the UK and Ireland and was recognised as the UK’s Best Large Contact Centre by the UK Customer Experience Awards 2018 and Welsh Contact Centre Awards 2019.

EE was awarded The Sunday Times’ Best 100 Companies to Work for in 2018 and 2019, as well as being named Best Employer 2018 by the European Contact Centre & Customer Service awards. EE won Best Repair Service and Best Network Provider at the Mobile Industry Awards in September 2023 and was recognised as the provider that does more than any other to deliver a great service.  EE is part of BT Group’s Consumer business unit which provides products and services to all of BT’s consumer customers in the UK.

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SOURCE: EE LIMITED