Businessman Roy Anderton-Tyers, better known as Uncle Roy locally, is taking over the former Gemini Jewellers, which closed earlier this month after it was targeted by daylight robbers for the second time in the space of two months.
Uncle Roy will transform the shop into a tourist information centre which will offer a range of complementary services for both locals and visitors alike.
Drawing on his retail experience of interacting with Moffat’s constant stream of tourists and visitors, Uncle Roy plans to have a display section where information about local eateries, hospitality providers, leisure activities and attractions will be displayed along with leaflets, booklets, bus timetables and so more.
An interactive display for Visit Scotland, a ticket sales and bookings service and an Internet cafe are also on the cards.
The full range of Uncle Roy’s award-winning Comestible Concoctions and a wide selection of cards, souvenirs and gifts will also be available for sale in the shop.
He said: “The economy of our community is inextricably linked to our visitors. From our experience, we know that even in this electronic age people look for somewhere where they can come to find out about where to eat or stay — what to do while they are here — and decide what to do next.”
He added: “Of course we will be depending on the support of the providers to enable us to provide that service and are sure that this will help boost the visitor experience.
“I also intend to update the map boards that we erected some years ago and promote other enterprises, such as refurbishing the Posties’ Memorial.”
Work on the shop re-fitting will begin soon and Uncle Roy hopes everything will be in place by the end of the year for a 2016 opening.
■ Uncle Roy is encouraging the community to make good use of the tourist centre and is asking locals to show interest by sending in messages of support and possible display information to [email protected]
