New store brings ILM Highland’s commitment to People, Place and Planet into the heart of Inverness
ILM Highland has officially opened its first Inverness retail store, bringing its appliance service to the city for the first time. The new store, based at New Start Highland’s Training & Reuse Village in Carsegate, was formally opened on Friday 24 July by Emma Roddick MSP and Sarah Downes, Vice Chair of ILM Highland.
Guests from across the Highlands joined ILM Highland staff, board members and project partners to celebrate the milestone. Martin Macleod, Chief Executive of ILM Highland, welcomed attendees before addresses from Emma Roddick and Sarah Downes, who then cut the ribbon together.
The store offers a range of new, nearly new and professionally refurbished household electrical appliances, including washing machines, cookers and smaller items from ILM Highland’s Rescued & Ready range. It gives people across Inverness and the surrounding area the opportunity to view appliances in person, speak directly with the ILM Highland team and explore practical options when essential household goods need to be replaced.
The opening brings ILM Highland’s core commitment to People, Place and Planet into a new location in Inverness. The store will help make essential household appliances more accessible while supporting employment and skills development across the city and surrounding area. The initiative will help keep electrical items and valuable materials in use for longer through repair, refurbishment, reuse and responsible recycling.
Martin Macleod, Chief Executive of ILM Highland, said, “Opening our first Inverness retail store is a significant milestone for ILM Highland and an important step in making our appliance service more accessible to people across the city and surrounding area.
“The store reflects what ILM Highland is all about: People, Place and Planet. It will help people access the appliances they need, create opportunities within Highland communities and keep valuable electrical items in use for longer. We are extremely grateful to New Start Highland and to everyone who has supported us in bringing the store to life.
“We would also like to give special recognition to United Infrastructure, whose support in funding the build costs have helped make today possible, and to Burness Paull for their invaluable support in managing the legal documentation and helping us navigate the process of bringing this project to life.”
Lisa Robb, Social Value Manager at United Infrastructure said, “It has been a real honour to be involved in the start-up of the ILM ReUse Village. United Infrastructure is proud to invest in this initiative because of the tangible difference it will make to our neighbouring community.
The creation of three local jobs, alongside the wider social value and environmental benefits delivered through the circular economy, made this a project we were delighted to support. It’s a great example of how investment in local partnerships can create lasting economic, environmental and community impact.”
Alongside its retail and environmental services, ILM Highland delivers support that helps people across the Highlands live safely and independently at home. Its repair, refurbishment and recycling work also helps reduce electrical waste and extend the useful life of household appliances that may otherwise be discarded.
Sarah Downes, Vice Chair of ILM Highland, said, “This opening represents an exciting new chapter for ILM Highland and brings our work within easier reach of more people. The new store demonstrates how supporting people and protecting the environment can go hand in hand. Every appliance that is given a longer life helps reduce waste, while every purchase supports ILM Highland’s wider impact across the Highlands.”
Emma Roddick MSP said, “It’s wonderful to have this new facility right on our doorstep in Merkinch. I know it will make a huge difference to so many people to have access to affordable appliances and education on repair and reuse.
It was a pleasure to be asked to join in the opening and welcome the team and their excellent work – tackling the cost of living, reducing waste, and empowering locals to spend less on replacing goods that can be repaired all at the same time.”
The store forms part of Scotland’s first purpose-built Training & Reuse Village, developed by New Start Highland. The Village brings together organisations and services focused on repair, reuse, practical skills and employment, including the Inverness Tool Library, the Bike Hut, The Yard Café training facility and New Start Highland’s pre-loved furniture and homeware retail services.
Together, the organisations based at the Village are helping make repair and reuse a more practical part of everyday life, while creating opportunities for people to learn new skills and access support.
The Inverness store opened to the public on Saturday 25 July 2026 and is now welcoming customers at New Start Highland’s Training & Reuse Village in Carsegate.