(Bloomberg) — The geographical center of Scotland boasts heather-cloaked hills, rushing waterfalls, cold rivers — and one of the country’s more successful retailers. House of Bruar, a family-owned business on the A9 artery midway between Edinburgh and Inverness, sells a high-end microcosm of all things Scottish, from hunting tweeds and cashmere sweaters to shortbread cookies and lobster-with-fries takeouts. And for the shopper in a hurry, there’s a helicopter pad.
For its next phase, says Managing Director Patrick Birkbeck, Bruar has a digital push targeting the US spender, and plans a similar campaign in Europe, Canada and Australia. International tourists account for only about 5% of current sales — Birkbeck’s gambit is that they’re willing to spend more for the Bruar look. With the number of North American tourists to Scotland rising 16% last year to almost 1 million, Birkbeck wants the US and Canadian traveler to think about his venue when they’re on the tourist trail in the Highlands.
Last week’s AIG Women’s Open golf championship for instance, taking place 90 minutes away in St Andrews, generated an uptick in visitors. “Ordering online or through the catalog you can’t experience what it’s like coming to the shop,” Birkbeck said. “The shop has to be the main drive for business and has to be our absolute backbone.
” Since 1995, Bruar’s white-walled stores and restaurants — and an art gallery — have lured drivers wanting a break from th.