Kirkcaldy Shopping Centre is to close for good this weekend, ending 40 years of trading in the town.
The troubled shopping mall, which saw its last two retail tenants pull out last month, will cease trading at 1pm on Saturday.
Formerly known as The Postings, it gained national attention, even featuring on BBC’s The One Show, after being put up for auction for £1 by previous owners, Columbia Threadneedle.
£1 auction
It was eventually bought by Wakefield based businessman, Tahir Ali’s Evegold Properties in 2019 for £310,000.
In a bid to revive the the ailing shopping outlet’s fortunes, he renamed it The Kirkcaldy Centre, adding new signage and vowing to bring in new tenants.
Last tenants pull out
However, despite efforts, one of the last two remaining tenants, Farmfoods, pulled out last month.
Meanwhile, Lloyd’s Chemist will now utilise temporary accommodation in the centre’s car park until it relocates to new premises in the town’s High Street later in the year.
A spokesman for the chemist said: “We hope to be trading here by the end of September but will be temporarily located in a portable unit within the service yard of the current shopping centre from July 5.
“We will be doing everything we can to mitigate the impact on patients, but currently don’t foresee any interruptions to our services during this transition period.”
Opened by Isla St Clair
The Postings was built at a cost of £4.2m and officially opened by Scottish singer and TV star, Isla St Clair in 1981.
Speculation over the shopping centre’s long-term future has continued ever since its biggest tenant, Tesco, pulled out in 2015.
Tesco’s departure triggered a collapse in footfall and signalled the beginning of the end for the outlet.
The centre’s demise is in stark contrast to the nearby Mercat Shopping Centre, which gained new owners, Belgate (Kirkcaldy) Ltd, in May.