More than 20 jobs at Dunfermline’s Kingsgate Shopping Centre will be lost as the sale of the building sets to be finalised on Thursday.
Staff have been told they can reapply for “some” of their old positions which will open after the purchase completes.
Kingsgate is being bought by Northdale Asset Management, who paid £35 million for it, along with other malls in King’s Lynn and Loughborough in England.
The centre is still without a vendor for its largest flagship store left empty after Debenhams plunged into administration in 2021.
Kingsgate has a floorspace of 309,000 square feet. And on average around 100,000 people walk through the centre on a weekly basis.
It currently has a M&S and B&M stores, and other retailers including Boots, New
Look, River Island, JD Sports and The Entertainer.
Kingsgate sale finalised
Northdale announced it was buying the centre just before Christmas last year.
Gatehouse Property Management will run the Kingsgate on behalf of the London-based firm.
A spokesperson for Gatehouse Property Management said: “The sale of Kingsgate Shopping Centre is due to conclude tomorrow (Thursday) and at the same time all supplier contracts will come to an end.
“Gatehouse Property Management has been appointed to manage the centre on behalf of the purchaser and there may be new opportunities for some of the current staff if they are not retained by their existing employer.”
Debenhams space still empty
Debenhams closed in February 2021, leaving the Kingsgate’s main anchor retail space empty.
So far, no one has taken over the three-floor retail unit.
The unit, just a few doors along from the Kingsgate entrance to M&S, is seen as a prime location within the shopping centre.
However, it has been used for one-off events like a Nerf battle.
Dundee’s empty Debenhams unit will soon reopen as a Frasers, after an extensive refit.
And when rent-to-buy specialist BrightHouse collapsed in March 2020, its Dunfermline shop in the Kingsgate closed soon after.
The unit is also being marketed for an annual rent of £45,000.
Also, the former Intersport unit which became a temporary Covid vaccine hub, is also up for rent in the Kingsgate.
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