IN A UK first, Edinburgh walking tour company, Mercat Tours, which has been connecting people, places and the past through the power of storytelling for almost four decades, has received B Corp certification, making it the first exclusive visitor attraction to secure the accreditation in the country.
Mercat Tours was set up in 1985 by history teacher, Des Brogan, after spotting a gap in the market for year-round walking tours for visitors in the city. The company now employs 57 staff, runs dozens of tours daily across Edinburgh and also operates Mercat Tours International which offers trips to WWI battlefields across Europe. Two of the original walks of Edinburgh launched on 1st July 1985 – Secrets of the Royal Mile and An Evening of Ghosts and Ghouls – still run today.
B Corp is a global movement with over 2,000 UK corporations, 70 of which are in Scotland, dedicated to benefitting all people, communities and the planet. The certification means that Mercat Tours meets the world-renowned high standards for social and environmental performance impact, accountability and transparency.
Every B Corp granted accreditation must score at least 80 points across five impact areas: Workers, Environment, Customers, Community, Governance. Mercat Tours scored an impressive 96.5 points, demonstrating its commitment to its team, visitors, local community and the planet.
Mercat Tour’s dedication to its team shone through in particular, having also now become the first Living Hours accredited tourism business in Scotland and receiving the Gold Standard Fair Tax Mark Accreditation.
Kat Brogan, Mercat Tour’s Managing Director who took over the running of the business from her now retired dad and founder, Des Brogan, in 2015, said: “Mercat Tours is driven by the desire to give our team, visitors and community the very best experience of work and the city. For almost four decades we have connected people, places and the past through the power of storytelling and our newly granted B Corp status is testament to the hard work and dedication of our team behind the scenes. We will continue to ‘give history a damn good telling!’ to for the many visitors who travel from home and abroad.
“Achieving BCorp accreditation is no mean feat and since 2020 we have been striving for this ambition. Becoming a Living Wage and now Living Hours business plus Fair Tax accredited, salutes the hard work and long-term vision of our team, in particular our exceptional Leadership Team. I’m deeply proud of our people and the choices we make that shape who we are as a community. These awards show how serious we are about making positive social, environmental and cultural impact the purpose of all we do. The framework that B Corp offers will help to guide us to continually improve and ensure we deliver the highest social and environmental benefits we can.
“To think how the business has evolved since my dad started the business almost forty years ago while he was a local history teacher is absolutely astounding. We are all really proud of what we have built together and feel very honoured that we get to champion the city of Edinburgh and share its stories every single day. Our newly assigned B Corp status will help to guide us in ensuring we’re making the best choices for our team, our visitors and our amazing city as we head into our milestone fortieth year.”
