Latest news with #BankBuildings
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
How 'quiet street of private houses' became city's main retail road
Historian Jason Burke charts the development of the thoroughfare that is once again becoming vacant to vibrant In recent years, Belfast's Donegall Place has lost its claim to be the city's primary thoroughfare for shopping and retail. There were, of course, significant and well-founded reasons for the street's decline, not least the devastating fire at Bank Buildings which had a detrimental impact on footfall in the area, but also the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw several businesses vacate their retail units in this (once) highly sought-after location. However, in June 2025, statistics from Belfast Improvement District — Belfast One revealed that retail outlets on Donegall Place will soon be at full occupancy once again as a result of a 'retail boom' in Belfast city centre.
Belfast Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Donegall Place: A small street with a big story to tell
Historian Jason Burke charts the development of the thoroughfare that is once again becoming vacant to vibrant In recent years, Belfast's Donegall Place has lost its claim to be the city's primary thoroughfare for shopping and retail. There were, of course, significant and well-founded reasons for the street's decline, not least the devastating fire at Bank Buildings which had a detrimental impact on footfall in the area, but also the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw several businesses vacate their retail units in this (once) highly sought-after location. However, in June 2025, statistics from Belfast Improvement District — Belfast One revealed that retail outlets on Donegall Place will soon be at full occupancy once again as a result of a 'retail boom' in Belfast city centre.
BBC News
06-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Belfast: New businesses hailed for bringing shoppers back into city
New retailers in Belfast are encouraging more people into the city centre and providing a boost to businesses, the head of the area's business improvement district has comes as Primark has invested £2 million opening its first ever homeware store at Fountain House in Belfast, just metres from Bank Buildings which reopened in 2022 following a devastating Connolly , chief executive of Belfast One Business Improvement District, said the investment showed real confidence in the city centre."Footfall year to date is up, we have seen the transport hub opening and an increase in visitors coming from Dublin on the train, but we also have our students living in the city centre," she said. "We have challenges just like every other city but we have movement and some great brands coming in - some which I can talk about and some which I can't. "So the likes of Russell and Bromley, the Lego store, Krispy Kreme are all opening in the next few weeks."There is real confidence in the area that we had seen prior to Covid, but it had dropped off. "That confidence is coming back. Year-on-year figures are coming back up to those pre-Covid levels and the investment that's happening in the city means we can see Belfast is back on track."Data from the NI Retail Consortium released for January showed footfall in Belfast increased by 4.8% have been concerns raised by business organisations that the increase in employers national insurance contributions from April would put off Connolly said she thought it would have an impact, but added that there were positive signs for the future too."Having places like Primark investing in Belfast will help drive footfall for the likes of the hospitality venues, and Grand Central Station is helping with that," she Central Station, which cost £340m, fully opened in September and is the main transport hub for Belfast, including cross-border services. More than 40 new retail jobs have been created as a result of the new Primark store, bringing its total workforce to over 1,300 across Northern Costello, head of sales in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, said the rise in employers national insurance contributions did not have any impact on the company's job creation."We've got 40 new jobs in this store alone," he said."We know what we need to run our business and we are fully committed to that."Mr Costello said it reflected the importance of having a bricks and mortar presence and that consumer demand for homeware had risen significant since the pandemic."Our home offer has really grown and Northern Ireland is one of those markets with a strong mix," he said."If we take a look over the last few years, people are investing in their home more. "If we think back to Covid times when we were all at home, since then it's really taken off."At Christmas obviously people traditionally always dressed their home, but now Easter - we have a collection here in store and our best selling line is a stand up Easter bunny."
