The Keiller Centre was Dundee’s go-to shopping mall in its heyday.
The choc-a-block maze rose from the rubble of a confectionary empire.
It took its name from the famous family whose factory stood before it and the centre housed many shops and attracted crowds of punters.
Situated between Albert Square, Commercial Street and the High Street, the centre first opened in November 1979 and became a truly iconic shopping destination.
History of the building
The original Keiller factory on Albert Square was one of the largest in Scotland.
It had first opened in 1870 but the firm – wholesale confectioners, fruit preservers, and cocoa and chocolate makers – revamped the premises, kitting it out with costly modern machinery for the production of Keiller’s cocoa and chocolate.
In 1900, a massive blaze broke out in the chocolate department which forced workers to leap from windows as 100-foot flames shot up into the sky.
The almighty inferno – ignited by an exploding fridge – ripped through the premises on Albert Square, causing the equivalent of £6 million worth of damage in today’s money and throwing 600 people out of work.
Explosion after explosion was heard, intermingling with the crashing of falling walls and debris.
Soon, despite the Herculean efforts of the firefighters, the inferno raged out of control and the buildings collapsed.
So intense was the heat that a thermometer in Commercial Street registered 136F.
The factory was rebuilt, but operations finally closed in 1947 and the site was demolished in the 1970s to make way for the Keiller Centre.
The demolition of the factory was carried out by Dundee Plant Company in the summer of 1978 and took 23 weeks to complete due to the complexity of the demolition and the high skill that was required.
Included in the demolition was a 140ft chimney stack, a 105ft tower block and 10,000 tonnes of rock which was cleared from the foundations.
The Keiller Centre opened in 1979
Work began on building the new shopping mall shortly after the site was cleared and in November 1979 the Keiller Centre was unveiled.
You were never short of somewhere to go for fresh meat or fruit and veg in the Keiller Centre or even some novelty rubbers from the newsagent for the kids.
The Keiller Centre was home to two butchers, Grossett’s and Scott Brothers, and also two greengrocers including Nicky Orr’s.
Another highlight for many was a trip to ScoopaMarket which had barrel-loads of bombay mix, nuts, dried fruit, flour and the famous gumballs.
The centre was also the place to get your suave new outfits and your camouflage gear.
Magic Eye Video Hire provided the latest video tapes and music wasn’t left out either as Sharkey provided all the new cassette tapes and albums for punters to enjoy.
Jacanoni’s made Dundee and Dundee United ice creams featuring peppermint flavouring for the white and blue Dundee cone and liquorice and orange for the tangerine and black United version.
In 1989 the Keiller Centre was bought over and a £500,000 refurbishment got under way.
The stores also received new branding which featured its new identity, The Forum
Shopping Centre.
The refurbishment included new shop frontages and mirrored ceilings to make the internal appearance considerably more bright and modern.
The name change came just one day before the centre’s 10th birthday on November 3 1989 and locals were completely against the name change.
Ken Barlow cut the ribbon in 1989
However, they got used to it and the new name and interior meant there was another
grand opening and this time Ken Barlow turned up from Coronation Street!
William Roache, who has been playing Ken since 1960, was mobbed by soap fans who flocked to see him to get an autograph with the screen legend.
An article following the grand unveiling said that “hundreds of fans” turned out to welcome the actor and the man himself was delighted with the surroundings.
Better than Alf’s Mini Market on the Weatherfield cobbles?
You bet!
Roache said: “This beats Alf Roberts’ shop.
“We wish the Forum great success.”
The centre has declined in the past 40 years with declining footfall and the grey shutters being pulled down on many units which have now lain empty for some time.
The Keiller Centre received a facelift in 2019 as the backdrop for the Dundee Design Festival which transformed unused parts of the building into exhibition spaces.
But for many the glory days were the 1980s and the early 1990s.
Just ask Ken Barlow…
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