Northern Ireland
This coverage focuses on retail developments in Northern Ireland, including store openings and closures, local consumer trends, investment initiatives, and regional market performance. Reporting examines how retailers adapt strategy, site selection, and operations to the region’s economic, cultural, and demographic context — providing insights for executives, managers, and professionals overseeing retail activity across Northern Ireland.
-
Feb- 2022 -22 FebruaryNews
Storm Eunice curtails footfall rise
Storm Eunice “heavily impacted” footfall across the UK, with a -3.8% decline from the week before and drops in all three destination types, according to retail experts Springboard. However, it said the distortion created by the weather meant that the result between Sunday and Thursday was “wholly different from Friday…
Read More » -
1 FebruaryOnline & Digital
Asos invests £14m in Belfast tech hub
Asos has announced it is investing £14m into a new tech hub in Belfast over the next three years as it continues to scale its investment in technology, creating 184 new jobs with eight permanent staff already on board. As part of the investment, Asos has announced the opening of…
Read More » -
Jan- 2022 -7 JanuaryHigh Street
Poundland unveils plans to open four larger stores
Poundland has announced plans to open four new large format stores this year as part of its “ambitious” transformation targets. The retailer also revealed plans to bring its chilled and frozen food ranges to around 100 more stores between now and the end of its financial year in September. The…
Read More » -
Dec- 2021 -3 DecemberHigh Street
Poundstretcher rewards staff with 10% pay increase
Discount chain Poundstretcher has announced it is rewarding all of its employees in “recognition of their hard work” throughout the pandemic, as well as the company’s restructuring in 2020 with a 10% pay increase. It revealed that from 1 January 2022, all employees who have completed a year’s full service…
Read More » -
Nov- 2021 -29 NovemberSupermarkets
Lidl GB appoints new CEO
Lidl GB has announced the promotion of Ryan McDonnell as its newest CEO with effect 1 February 2022. He replaces Christian Härtnagel who will be moving to the role of CEO at Lidl Germany on 1 March 2022. Härtnagel has been CEO of the UK group for more than five…
Read More » -
2 NovemberCoronavirus
SMEs to ‘keep calm and carry on’ despite rising costs, study finds
The majority of SMEs are “grateful” to be in business and generating revenue despite the increased costs, and are prepared to accept up to a 20% drop in revenue, according to a report by MarketFinance. It revealed four out of five (79%) SMEs have faced increased prices from suppliers over…
Read More » -
Oct- 2021 -19 OctoberEconomy
UK footfall return remains steady
Footfall across UK retail destinations declined marginally by -0.7% last week from the week before, according to Springboard. UK footfall last week was +28.1% higher than in the same week in 2020, which was a strong improvement from +24.5% in the week before. The fact that footfall did not change…
Read More » -
19 OctoberLuxury Goods
Welsh brand Au Vodka tops list of UK’s fastest growing online companies
A world-leading Retail Operating System has curated a list of the 50 fastest growing e-commerce brands of the ‘pandemic era’, with Swansea-based luxury alcohol brand, Au Vodka, coming out on top. The list, titled the Lightning 50, tracked growth across brands to rank the UK’s 50 fastest growing e-commerce companies…
Read More » -
Sep- 2021 -28 SeptemberEconomy
Asos to create 180 jobs with new £14m Tech Hub
Asos has announced it is to invest £14m in a new Tech Hub in Belfast and create 184 new jobs over the next three years. The new Belfast hub will be operational in early 2022, with 52 dedicated roles in the first year, growing to 184 by 2024, with recruitment…
Read More » -
27 SeptemberHigh Street
Applications open for Northern Irish £100 high street voucher scheme
Northern Ireland economy minister Gordon Lyons has announced that the portal for applications to the high street voucher scheme has now opened. Applicants can now register for a £100 prepaid “spend local” card, with the portal remaining open until 25 October 2021. Following the initial phase of applications, the first…
Read More »
