Barfly: Collaring the Edinburgh market

CHARLES Tyrwhitt founder Nick Wheeler is to open a signature store of the upmarket shirt maker in Edinburgh. It will be the company's first outlet in Scotland, and the move to 52 George Street will have added family significance as he takes over premises vacated by The White Company, run by his wife Chrissie Rucker.

Her business moves up the road to number 88, where it will launch its lifestyle concept store on Thursday.

The Tyrwhitt store will open in September with manager Keith Hendrie at the helm. It brings the total number of Charles Tyrwhitt stores to 17, adding to outlets in London as well as New York and Paris.

"Our aim is to open a small number of stores in the very best locations," said Nick, who sold his first shirt from his bedroom at university in 1986. "We don't want to have a store on every street. We just want to be the best shirt-maker. Edinburgh is a really important market for us and George Street is the perfect location. We are here for the long term."

Stuart Moncur, head of retail for Cushman and Wakefield in Scotland, who advised Charles Tyrwhitt, said: "Charles Tyrwhitt likes to locate its stores in strong fashion destinations like Jermyn Street in London and Madison Avenue in New York, therefore George Street was the obvious place for its first Scottish store."

Movie star changes woodworker's focus

PENELOPE Cruz would appear to be doing her bit for business start-ups in Scotland.

Edinburgh-based designer Robin J Horn has just set up his eponymous furniture firm after being commissioned to build a distinctive bookcase inspired by one which appeared in Broken Embraces, starring the Hollywood hot-shot.

Despite not seeing the film, the enterprising 29-year-old was able to produce a design, which mimics a city skyline, based on the client's description.

That initial success has convinced Horn, who worked for many years as a woodworker, to branch out on his own, having secured funding from DSL, the not-for-profit lender.

"I like to think of myself as an artist, primarily, and love to take on interesting projects such as the skyline shelves inspired by the Penelope Cruz movie," he tells us.

You know where to turn for that celluloid-inspired addition to your sitting room.