Rise and fall of eighties dream

The Kyle Centre opened its doors in 1988 at a cost of £21million.

At the time it was the town’s first large, modern indoor shopping complex.

Local retail took off with 20 different shops on the ground floor, a few fastfood outlets on the first floor with several other associated units.

The centre boasted big, popular chains such as Topshop, River Island and New Look.

Over the years, though, the centre struggled to maintain a unique shopping experience – with the larger, more out-of-town retailers increasing their influence as the years went on.

Since the 2008 recession and a general downturn in the economy, the centre struggled to compete with ever-changing shopping trends, the rise of online shopping and changing customer demands.

The centre plunged into administration in 2014.

Property giant Squarestone then swooped with a £5million buy-out.

In 2016, it was purchased again, but the site’s owners, Alloway (Scotland) LLP, failed to bag a cinema deal after winning planning consent.

That resulted in Ediston Real Estate, who own Heathfield Park, walking away from their bid to buy the Kyle Centre and take over the project.

It appears that the coronavirus lockdown, imposed last March, coupled with ongoing utility bills and security costs, has had a direct bearing on the current owners, Alloway (Scotland LLP), switching off the centre’s life support.

The mall had been the centre of much speculation in recent years.

In 2015, it had been claimed that cinema giants Odeon were looking to relocate to the Kyle.

And in 2019, Irish cinema firm Arc was reported to be“in talks” about moving into the Kyle.

Heathfield owners Ediston Real Estate were also reported to be lining up a deal for multimillion pound facilities at the centre.

Unfortunately, none of these plans ever came to fruition – but they could be revived.