How Dundee’s Stack Retail Park made a miraculous revival after being abandoned for years

The Stack’s revival has been continuing since 2012. (Picture: Google • Public Art Dundee)

If you lived in Dundee during the 1990s and early 2000s, you’ll likely remember The Stack as the place to be.

It was a bustling leisure and retail hub, home to some of the city’s most recognisable venues - The Venue nightclub, Tesco Express, Megabowl, and Wimpy.

As a child, I spent many hours at Wimpy, a favourite haunt for many Dundonians growing up in that era.

But what set The Stack Leisure Park apart from other retail developments was its deep-rooted connection to Dundee’s industrial past.

Unlike many modern leisure parks that spring up on vacant or repurposed land, The Stack was built on the site of Camperdown Works, once the largest jute mill complex in the world.

This industrial heritage gave The Stack an identity beyond just shopping and entertainment - it was a site steeped in history.

From jute empire to leisure hub

The transformation of the site into a leisure park began in the early 1990s when a local by the name of Michael Johnston saw an opportunity to redevelop the former jute works.

The Stack in the late 1990s. (Picture: Dundee City Archives)

Opened in 1992, The Stack took its name from its most iconic feature - Cox’s Stack, the towering brick chimney that has stood as a landmark in Lochee since the 1860s.

The chimney became the symbol of the park, both in name and imagery, ensuring the site’s history was never completely forgotten.

In its heyday, The Stack was a hive of activity. Tenants like Odeon, Tesco Express, the Venue, Buzz Bar, Busters, and Megabowl attracted crowds of shoppers, families, and cinema-goers.

The Megabowl was a popular spot in the Stack back in the 1990s and 2000s. (Picture: University of Dundee Archive Services)

The Odeon cinema was particularly popular in the 1990s, providing Dundonians with an additional place to catch the latest blockbusters.

However, compared to Dundee’s larger flagship cinemas, its run was short-lived - it closed its doors by 2001, leaving a gap in the park’s entertainment offering.

Decline and abandonment

The 2008 financial crash dealt a devastating blow to The Stack. As economic uncertainty grew, footfall declined, and one by one, businesses began to close.

Tesco’s decision to pack up its store at the Stack hit the park hard as it moved to the much larger South Road store which opened in 2009.

Megabowl shut its doors in 2011, leaving Dundee without a bowling alley for over a decade. Other retailers quickly followed, and within a few years, Buzz Bingo was the only surviving tenant.

Between 2009 and 2012, The Stack became a ghost town. Where there were once crowds of shoppers and families, now only a handful of cars dotted the empty parking lot. For three long years, the site was virtually abandoned, a sad reminder of how quickly fortunes can change.

A remarkable revival

But The Stack wasn’t finished just yet. In 2012, its fortunes turned around when TJ Morris, the owner of Home Bargains, saw potential in the struggling site and acquired the park. This marked the beginning of a slow but steady revival.

Soon after, The Range moved into the former Tesco unit, bringing new life to the retail park. Aldi followed, setting up shop next to Home Bargains, and on the eastern end of the site, Smyths Toys and The Gym Group joined the lineup.

The east wing of the Stack in 2008 vs 2023. (Picture: Google)

For the first time in years, Buzz Bingo was no longer the sole tenant, and The Stack had a future again.

The biggest transformation came in 2024, when Home Bargains relocated to a massive new build on the former Odeon site, making it the largest store of its kind in Scotland.

The west wing of the Stack in 2008 vs 2023. (Picture: Google)

At the entrance of the park, Greggs opened a drive-thru restaurant on the site of the old Tesco petrol station, adding another popular name to the growing list of retailers.

Despite its modern revival, The Stack hasn’t forgotten its industrial roots. In late 2024, a public art installation featuring a bummer whistle - a nod to the city’s jute heritage - was unveiled, serving as a reminder of Dundee’s past.

Now, with NEXT and Costa Coffee set to open, The Stack is busier than it has been in decades. Rows of cars once again fill the car park, and the site is thriving like never before.

What was once a forgotten relic of a bygone era is now a bustling retail park, proving that with the right vision and investment, even a site that seemed lost can find new life.