Toys R Us to close Kirkcaldy store

Fife still reeling from jobs lost at Babcock and P&H

Fife has been dealt a fresh blow after Toys R Us announced its Kirkcaldy store will close in the new year.

It is one of four Scottish shops to be cut with the loss of dozens of jobs. Hundreds are under threat across the UK. The announcement comes days after Fife was stunned by news of savage cuts being made at Babcock, where 250 jobs are to go, and at distribution firm Palmer and Harvey, where 150 will be lost.

The SNP’s Kirkcaldy MSP David Torrance said the closure was “devastating” news.

“This is a big loss for the local economy, a blow for retail and terrible news for staff,” he said.

The Kirkcaldy store will close in spring 2018 – along with stores in Aberdeen, East Kilbride and Livingston.

Retailer Toys R Us will close its Kirkcaldy store and may slash the size of its Dundee shop.

The company has put forward plans to dispose of around a third of its UK stores, putting up to 800 jobs at risk.

The retailer said it is working on a company voluntary agreement (CVA), which would allow it to jettison 26 lossmaking stores.

They include Kirkcaldy, Aberdeen, East Kilbride and Livingston, which will shut by the spring.

Three others, at Kingsway Retail Park in Dundee and at Stirling and Glasgow will remain open but may be downsized.

The Dundee store re-opened recently following a post-fire refurbishment.

Toys R Us says the transformation plan is needed to “meet the evolving needs of customers in today’s UK retail market”.

It expects there to be redundancies, though the firm said all possible would be made to redeploy staff.

Kirkcaldy SNP MSP David Torrance said the news was “devastating” for the town.

“This is extremely disappointing and there is no doubt it is a terrible time of year for families to face such uncertainty.

“The store’s employees have anxious weeks ahead as they wait to see how long their jobs will last or look for other work.”

Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath Labour MP Lesley Laird added: “Toys R Us gave public assurances three months ago that UK stores were unaffected by the company going into administration in the US – a message which gave staff here a false sense of security it would seem.

“That’s not good enough and I’ll be contacting the company to better understand the reasons for this apparent U-turn and the implications for Kirkcaldy staff.”

Toys R Us managing director Steve Knights said the warehouse-style stores opened by the retailer in the 1980s and 1990s have proven “too big and expensive to run”, adding that “newer, smaller, more interactive stores in the right shopping locations” were trading well.

He also pointed to a “significant growth” in online sales and its click-and-collect offering.

Picture: Dougie Nicolson. The warehouse-style stores opened by the retailer in the 1980s and 1990s have proven too big and expensive to run.