Digital hub, East Renfrewshire
Hundreds of local businesses have joined forces to encourage everyone to explore East Renfrewshire. Enterprises in Barrhead, Clarkston and Giffnock all feature on an increasingly popular app to help boost the region’s economy.
Explore East Ren has been developed jointly by the All About Barrhead, I Love Clarkston and Giffnock Village Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), working with digital towns hub software firm Loqiva.
And the collaborative spirit which has brought them together to unlock the opportunity has been highlighted as a model which BIDs and other organisations nationally could follow.
Explore East Ren features businesses, trails, events and local experiences which give people new ways to discover their communities and support local businesses of all kinds. Every business can log in to its own dashboard to publish events and offers and send notifications directly to residents, putting even the smallest enterprise in direct contact with its customers.
It features nearly 400 businesses and has attracted more than 1,500 downloads since launching.
One of the app’s standout features is Barrhead’s expanding heritage trail, allowing users to walk through the town centre while viewing archive photographs and stories showcasing the area’s industrial past and historic shopfronts.
People can compare present-day locations with historic images sourced from local archives, bringing Barrhead’s history to life interactively.
As part of Scotland Loves Local Week, businesses in Barrhead will help promote the trail through photography and displays featuring historic images of the shops along the route.
Meanwhile, Clarkston BID is using the app to host its town centre awards, allowing customers to vote for their favourite local businesses through the platform’s interactive survey feature.
In Giffnock, the app is supporting activity linked to the arrival of the Scotties in the City trail in June 2026, alongside food and retail stores, celebrating the area’s strong independent business scene.