Huge Scottish shopping centre marks 50th anniversary with special events including time capsule

The Centre in Livingston, West Lothian is also rolling out a “blether bench” to encourage visitors to share their memories and an event with Go Radio presenter Gina McKie, who will be giving away 50 gift cards, worth £2,000.

The time capsule ceremony follows a project that the shopping centre has been working on with pupils in nine local primary schools who were invited to create a contribution reflecting their experiences of life today and their sense of community and hopes for the future.

Formats include artwork, books and letters, which will be lowered into the ground at a private event attended by pupil representatives from each school and the centre’s management team.

The shopping centre encompasses a mix of more than 150 stores, cafes and restaurants spanning some one million square feet and racks up some 15.4 million customer visits a year. It has seen many changes over the past five decades, dating back to the opening of Woolco in 1976, when the centre was known as Almondvale Shopping Centre.

Since acquiring the mall in 2024, the current owner, LCP UK, part of M Core, has continued to make ongoing improvements, including the investment of £5 million in new flooring, lighting and energy-efficient roofing. This has resulted in the arrival of several global brands, including Wingstop, Starbucks, Sostrene Grene, MINISO, Flying Tiger and the opening of Hollywood Bowl later this year.

Centre director Patrick Robbertze said: “This year is a very exciting time for The Centre, Livingston as we celebrate 50 years of being at the heart of the community and also branch into the leisure sector with the opening of Hollywood Bowl, which is a great way to mark our special milestone.

“We have lots of exciting plans to celebrate the occasion, including our time capsule ceremony with local primary schools, the launch of our ‘blether bench’ to encourage people to share their memories with us and our gift card giveaway event.”