Click and collect lockers could be coming to Kirkcaldy town centre

A new group set up to promote Kirkcaldy town centre is looking at installing new click and collect lockers in shops.

It is one of the projects in hand after Love Oor Lang Toun got £20,000 of funding from from the Scottish Government’s Towns and BIDs Resilience and Recovery Fund.

The group will also use the backing to switch the town centre’s wi-fi back on.

Love Oor Lang Toun was one of four successful bids from Fife to net funding to help town centres out of lockdown, and its work begins this week.

Cara Forrester, who leads the organisation, said: “This funding is fantastic and we would like to thank everyone who worked hard to secure it for Kirkcaldy.

“Part of supporting the town centre is about recognising the challenges faced and finding ways to solve them quickly.”

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Switching the town centre’s wi-fi back on is seen as one way of helping businesses as they move to contactless payment post-lockdown.

It was initially installed by Fife Council, but later upgraded and managed by Kirkcaldy4All until the BID company closed earlier this year.

Added Cara: “Boosting blackspots will help augment online methods and services which are an essential part of easing the town out of lockdown.

“As well as meeting the expectations of shoppers and visitors who use devices and phones as part of their experience, it’s important to recognise the huge range of benefits from something simple like better wi-fi. Better online connectivity is essential. “

She added: “It helps businesses develop effective services including ordering and payment and enables table to till transactions for the food and drink sector.

“Using digital pre-ordering of goods and services can reduce physical queues, click and collect options will bring people back into town centre shops, and enable us to look at pop up offers, information and safety messages through a Kirkcaldy website.”

Love Oor Lang Toun has already brought online platform, Shop Appy, to Kirkcaldy - the first town in Scotland to sign up.

The pilot project, partnered with Visa, is funded by Fife Council, and free to businesses for six months, and brings shops together so customers can buy locally in one online place.

Kirkcaldy businesses which sign up are also eligible for a small grant of £250, thanks to the support of Fife Business Gateway’s ‘Transition to Trade Online’ fund.

Cara added: “We’re looking at various options including digital lockers, partnering with local businesses to offer collection points in premises or having a general collection point for goods, perhaps which could be available outwith normal working hours.

“We have to do further research into the most cost effective, right option for Kirkcaldy , but are doing so now so we can get moving quickly.”

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