Bon Accord & St Nicholas starts no smoking initiative
The Bon Accord & St Nicholas shopping centre in Aberdeen has become the first shopping complex in the north-east of Scotland to ban smoking outside its building.
The management team said it had made the move to improve the retail experience for shoppers.
The ban covers the Bon Accord mall’s Schoolhill entrance up to the pedestrian crossing. To be enforced by centre staff, the ban will be supported by additional work by Aberdeen City Council wardens to prevent littering.
Craig Stevenson, manager of Bon Accord & St Nicholas, said: “We have watched from a distance as NHS Grampian has introduced a smoke-free policy across hospital grounds, a policy which has been widely welcomed. We have taken the decision to introduce this initiative ourselves after feedback from visitors to the centre showed secondhand smoke to be one of the biggest complaints.”
Bon Accord & St Nicholas will celebrate its 25th birthday on 22 August and will mark the milestone with a 12 month programme of events.
Stevenson added: “This is an exciting time as we enter our 25th year and we are sure that people will respect this new initiative which is a positive step for us. We are also trying to decrease the amount of littering outside the centre and would like to thank Aberdeen City Council for their support in this endeavour.”
The 840,000 square foot complex in Aberdeen city centre is home to around 100 stores including Scotland’s largest Next, Aberdeen’s only Topshop and Topman standalone store as well as the city’s largest New Look and River Island.
