Kirkcaldy - Economy

Economy

The first industries to develop in the town were coal mining and salt panning, which date back to the early sixteenth century. Early manufacturing both in Kirkcaldy and neighbouring Pathhead consisted of coarse cloth and nailmaking; the latter of which went to the Royal Master of Works for repairs at Holyrood Palace until the seventeenth century. Linen weaving, which began in 1672, became important to the town, with yarn imported from Hamburg and Bremen. The pottery industry, which was originally established in 1714 as an offshoot of the Linktown Brick and Tile Works, was centred around Linktown, Gallatown and Sinclairtown. The Fife Pottery, built by Andrew and Archibald Grey in 1817, produced Wemyss Ware, named after the family who owned Wemyss Castle.

The production of heavy canvas was started in 1828 by Michael Nairn at a small factory. Influenced by a visit to Bristol, Nairn started to make floorcloth at his new factory at Pathhead in 1847, where his company pioneered the use of ovens to season the floorcloth and reduce production times. When the patent belonging to Frederick Walton expired, Nairn's were able to manufacture linoleum from 1877 onwards. Other factories producing floorcloth and later linoleum were established by former employees of Michael Nairn.

Approximately 22,000 people work in the Kirkcaldy area, dominated by the service sector. Other important sectors in Kirkcaldy's economy are financial and business services, construction, and retailing. The largest employer in the town is MGt plc. Other large employers include NHS Fife, Forbo-flooring (floor coverings), Adam Smith College (education) and R Hutchison Ltd (food). The principal industrial and business estates include Mitchleston, Randolph, Hayfield, and John Smith Business Park. In October 2011, Kirkcaldy Harbour reopened to cargo ships for the first time in over than 20 years. The project is a partnership between Forth Ports Ltd (the owners of the harbour), Hutchison's parent company of Carr's Flour Mills, and Transport Scotland, who provided a freight facilities grant of over £800,000. The work included new silos and conveyors to allow fast delivery from coastal ships.

Kirkcaldy's town centre, which serves a large catchment area of around 130,000 residents within a 20-minute drive, is the largest in Fife in terms of retail floor space. Eligible businesses voted in favour of a BID (Business Improvement District) scheme for the town centre in 2010. The High Street, which runs parallel to the Esplanade, is home to the Mercat Shopping Centre and Postings Shopping Centre. A regeneration programme to upgrade the appearance of the High Street was completed in late 2011. A separate project has also created a 'green corridor' to link the main railway station and bus station with the High Street. The budget for the entire project was £4 million, £2 million of which was provided through the Scottish Government's Town Centre Regeneration Fund.

In March 2010, plans for an extension to the Mercat Centre and the creation of a new waterfront were approved by the Kirkcaldy Area Committee. This would be anchored by a split-level supermarket containing 450 underground car park spaces. A hotel, bowling alley, cinema and civic square would add to the complex. The plans stalled, when City Site Estates, the owners of the Mercat were placed into administration amid ongoing uncertainty about securing a supermarket chain for the anchor unit.

An out-of-town retail park constructed in 1997 north-west of the town on Chapel Level, off the A92 is home to a number of warehouse retailers. The retail park was purchased by Hammerson, a London-based property developer for £75 million in April 2005.