The couple at the helm of a Perth cafe say they may have to relocate to Pitlochry if they can’t find a better city centre location.
Sun Sun Lau and Johnnie Yuen, both aged 45, own the Hong Kong-inspired cafe and lifestyle store Johnnie Orange on St Paul’s Square.
The pair opened the cafe in April last year after moving to Perth in December 2022 and have since built up a loyal customer base.
However, due to “lack of footfall” on the square they want to sell and move the cafe to a busier location in the city centre.
If nowhere suitable comes up, they may have to leave the city.
Perth cafe looking to relocate to busier spot in city centre
Sun Sun told The Courier that sales have dropped significantly compared to last year.
This has coincided with the opening of the new Perth Museum, which also includes a cafe.
She said: “We are not shutting down. We have a passion for providing a cafe and teahouse service here for residents.
“We love establishing friendships with everyone. We do have a customer base here.
“However, we have suffered from a lack of footfall and not many people here, as well as a decrease in visitors.
“When we compare back to 2023, we had very strong sales in the same period last year.
“Maybe the opening of the new museum is one of the main reasons.
“We love having a cultural attraction here, of course.
“However, the bad thing is that they have also opened a huge cafe there.
“Before the planning of the museum, why did the council not ask the stakeholders their thoughts on the cafe?”
Sun Sun also explained they have to restrict the use of the toilet to customers only and limit their electricity use due to the high price of bills.
She said if they were to move to a busier location and generate more income, this would “lessen our burdens”.
The cafe is on the market for £85,000 and includes a kitchen space and freehold shop.
The couple hope to sell the cafe and invest the cash made into a new location.
‘Our second choice would be to move to Pitlochry’
“Most of the time we are quiet so we are thinking maybe we need to move or expand,” Sun Sun added.
Co-owner Johnnie continued: “We are looking at George Street. This shop is very good for a starter business and for gaining experience.
“Now we are more confident.
“We are looking for somewhere with a more professional kitchen where we can make hot meals.
“Our second choice would be to move to Pitlochry because that location is very concentrated.
“A lot of tourists heading to the Highlands stop off there.”
Sun Sun added: “We will be sad if we really have to go totally so we are still struggling where we should settle.”
There has been some interest but the couple say they do not need to leave urgently.
Council says one in four visitors use Perth Museum cafe
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said the new museum has welcomed more than 144,000 visitors since opening in March.
They added: “Of those, around one in four have chosen to eat and drink in the café, with neighbouring businesses, including pubs, restaurants and cafes, reporting an increase in footfall since the museum opened.
“Our business growth team would be happy to advise on alternative premises in Perth city centre that may be suitable for Johnnie Orange if they have decided to relocate to an area of the city centre where they may benefit from more passing trade.”
Conversation