Glasgow business owners in Easterhouse stage protest over cost crisis

'Save Our Shoppy' protest

The Easterhouse protest to ‘Save our Shoppy’ kicked off at noon today as the small business owners and members of the community that ‘felt like they had no choice’ gathered outside the centre.

The traders claim that they were 'not made adequately aware of support grants or any other measures of support’ during Covid lockdowns despite being nationally publicised.

They are now faced with paying for backdated rent from when their businesses were closed during lockdown.

Further, the protesting business owners claim that bills of up to £16,000 on top of their centre service charges will force them to close, which would be a devastating loss to their community.

Some traders have already been given Notices of Irritancy, by which their landlord seeks to terminate their lease early over non-payment of rent.

The Lochs traders staging the protest told the Glasgow Times their requests to meet with representatives from Glasgow City Council and landlords City Property Glasgow had been ignored and claimed issues like faulty heating, an inoperative escalator, and a damaged parking lot were also negatively impacting their businesses.

However, City Property Glasgow said it was "not aware of any requests for a face-to-face meeting".

An important hub for the Easterhouse community

Members of the community gathered in support of the small business owners and expressed their fears that the deepening cost pressures could close their favourite businesses.

Leading speeches at the protest were the sisters and co-owners of family-run cafe, Wee Betty’s.

Shelley Quinn, co-owner of Wee Betty’s, said: “This isn't just about keeping our businesses, it's about helping the community and people.

“People come into the shops who don't have any family and we sit with them to give them some company.

"If people start having to shut their shops down it's not going to be a community centre anymore, there's going to be nowhere for these older people to go, this is their social life."

Her sister and fellow co-owner Sammy Quinn added that they had contacted landlord City Property Glasgow several times over the heating in the centre and appeals to meet face-to-face to discuss issues with the company have gone unanswered.

She said: “The heating was condemned over six months ago.

“There’s been no attempt for anyone to come and explain what’s happened.

“We want to speak to someone from City Property face-to-face.”

Sammy claims that her family business was charged full rent and full rates during lockdown when they couldn’t trade and are now struggling to pay the money back each month.

She said: “It’s just unrealistic for us to be able to pay that and still trade, so for us we are looking for some help with that.”

She added: “We just feel as if we need to speak up because nobody else is speaking up for the people of this community.

“This is what we have to do to say that we want to speak to somebody and we want to have this fixed.

“We don’t want this centre to close. I grew up in Easterhouse and I was born in Easterhouse, it means as much to me as it does to everybody else.

“If the centre were to close it would be a very big loss to the community and I think it would make a lot more people lonely, which is something we're trying to tackle.”

'We'd rather have heating than a Christmas Tree'

Zahid Mahmood, owner of Fresh and Less, said: "They are not reducing rent and the heating systems, which have been broken since Covid, are still not fixed.  

"We'd rather have the heating than the Christmas tree"  

Mr Mahmood added that the current situation is even affecting footfall.  

He said: "There were older people that all used to come, and they don't anymore because the shopping centre is so cold.  

"We want all those people to come back and bring the community back together again." 

In response to the claims made by the community, a spokesperson from City Property Glasgow said: “Whilst we’re not aware of any requests for a face-to-face meeting with City Property Glasgow (Investments) LLP, our representatives Graham & Sibbald will meet with tenants as required to discuss any issues raised."

'It's our social life'

They added: “With regards to the heating issues in the shopping centre, we continue to work to resolve this and hope to provide an update to all tenants of The Lochs within the week.”

One of Wee Betty’s regular customers, Theresa Hart, 67, told the Glasgow Times that the cafe was very important to her because she lives alone.

She said: “If the shopping centre wasn’t here, I would be in the house.

“Wee Betty’s, the girls in there, they do a lot for the community.

“That is my wee community space and comfort.”

Betty Connelly, 75, added: “It’s important for everybody because that is a community for us.

“There’s a wee crowd of us that go up Monday, Wednesday, Friday, we have our tea.

“The girls are so good to us. It’s a community for us all, a chatter natter.”

Betty, who has lived in Easterhouse for 50 years, added: “We’re called the mermaids, and anyone that comes in that has a problem, we will sit and talk to them and blether away.

“It’s my social life, it’s our social lives.

“If that shuts up, I have nowhere to go. Same as my friends.”

The spokesperson for City Property Glasgow added: “Whilst trading conditions since March 2020 have been challenging, we have continued to communicate regularly with our tenants including the offer of a Covid-19 rent support package which was offered to all tenants in 2020, with the application pack being available via our website for a period of two years.

“In line with City Property’s debt management strategy, we have agreed payment plans with many tenants and will continue to work on a case-by-case basis, offering support wherever feasible and with the aim of stabilising property vacancy rates and helping our tenants trade through these difficult times.”