Ardent Group picked up The Archibald Simpson award at this year's Northern Star Business Awards, and were presented the title by sponsors True North.
Where Aberdeen city centre was on the verge of despair, Robert Keane has brought some fresh hope.
The entrepreneurial property developer has a flair for breathing life into unloved spaces.
So, expectations are high that his plans to turn around the Trinity Centre will, alongside the £40million market in the former BHS building and efforts being led by volunteer organisation Our Union Street, reverse the fortune of Aberdeen’s main thoroughfare.
When Robert was revealed as the new owner of the mall which had been on the market for nine months, reaction was a mixture of delight and relief.
Many in Aberdeen already know the leisure industry impresario for leading the transformation of Shiprow.
Along with his partner Mary Martin, the 68-year-old also runs the well-known and much-loved Douglas Hotel.
What fewer people realise is the Irishman is also the brains behind similar venues in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Anyone who has travelled to the Scottish capital by train will have passed and maybe even stopped for some refreshment at the busy rooftop bar next to Waverley Station. He is also the mastermind of the Festival Village beer garden and street food venue in the heart of Glasgow’s Merchant City.
Already, formerly vacant spaces in the mall are finding new tenants, such as Shot ‘n Roll and Resting Brunch Face. This adds to key tenants including Flying Tiger, HMV, and Primark, which with a very conveniently-located, multi-level car park, together attracts a healthy footfall of 4.5 million year despite the high vacancy rate.
Robert even has ambitions to tame the dreaded stairs which lead from the from the Guild Street train station up to the mall’s main level at Union Street.
His aim is to bring his unique form of experiential magic to the 40-year-old Trinity Centre and, by extension, the core of Union Street.
The Finalists
- Aberdeen Performing Arts
- City Restoration Project
- Dough & Co
- Sugarbird Wines
Click here to view the finalists videos.
About the sponsor
True North provides impactful advocacy, policy and communications advice to a range of businesses and organisations.