15-17 concession store confirms opening plans in Kirkcaldy

15-17 hopes to open its doors in the former Debenhams store in the heart of the pedestrianised zone.

It will be the company’s second store in Scotland after launching in Ayr in 2019.

The company also has an outlet in Worthing and is set to open in Corby, Canterbury and Cardiff.

Its plans to launch in Kirkcaldy were hit by flood damage suffered last year - and lockdown.

It signed a deal to move into Debenhams just weeks after the High Street chain closed its doors, and had hoped to be open by April 2020.

15-17 specialises in taking on large empty shops, which are then divided up to house a number of different retailers, both local and national.

It has been viewed as a new way of solving the decline in retail which leaves sizeable gaps on High Streets up and down the country.

Mercier Mainwaring, who runs the company, said he hoped to open within the next two to three weeks.

Workers were due on site this week to complete the refit before concessions started to move in.

The building already has signage above the front door promoting 3Beans - run by Mike Lowe of Cupcake Coffee Box - as its main cafe. He also operates in 15-17’s Ayr branch.

15-17 is expected to bring a mix of concessions to the town.

These include local and national businesses covering everything from clothing to footwear to make up.

Its model sees each paying a monthly fee for space and a percentage of their sales.

Mr Mainwaring said: “I signed off the store over one year ago, but what cost us a lot of time was a major flood. We were ready to open but had to put it back.”

The company has been speaking to Fife Council about its plans to launch in the High Street.

Service Manager Pamela Stevenson confirmed the local authority’s town centre team has been in contact and directed them to funding sources.

She added: "As we work to regenerate the town centre, we will look to give support to new experiences to draw more people back to the High Street."

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