Doors opened to the public at 9am and the centre has been a bustling hive of activity since.
Here are 13 pictures giving you a glimpse inside the impressive St James Quarter on its opening day.
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1. First Phase
Following years of construction, St James Quarter opens its 850,00 sq feet shopping galleria. Pandora is one of the many shops that joins the line-up. The completion of the first phase of the development brings a new, retail led, lifestyle district that fully integrates into and enhancesEdinburgh city centre. Photo: John Devlin
2. Queues
Shoppers queued from as early as 3am for the new LEGO store which is one of the shops to initially open in the new centre's first phase. The newly-built St James Quarter opened at 9am on Thursday June 24, after five years of construction. Photo: John Devlin
3. Shopper favourites
The £1 billion development currently includes more than 40 retailers, including John Lewis & partners - which is already proving popular with customers. Photo: John Devlin
4. Newcomers
Many of the 40 retailers are debuting for their brand in Scotland for the first time at the St James Quarter, including Pull&Bear, & Other Stories, Stradivarius and Bershka. Photo: John Devlin