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.
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May- 2021 -10 MayHigh Street
UK retail footfall drops 4.1% amid poor weather
Footfall across UK retail destinations declined by 4.1% last week from the week prior, which was attributed to the impact of poor weather, according to the latest data from Springboard. Activity in high streets also dropped to 6.6%, whilst in retail parks and shopping centres footfall declined by just 1.3%…
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5 MayHigh Street
UK retail footfall hit by bad weather
New data from Springboard has revealed that footfall at UK retail destinations dropped by 2% last week from the previous seven-day period, despite the reopening of non-essential retail stores across the country. The footfall decrease was primarily due to a considerable drop of 6.1% in high street footfall, despite footfall…
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Apr- 2021 -9 AprilHigh Street
Total UK footfall decreases by 69%, BRC tracker finds
Total UK footfall decreased by 68.7% in March (Yo2Y), marking only a 4.9% improvement from February, according to the latest British Retail Consortium (BRC) Sensormatic tracker. The data, which covered the five weeks from 28 February to 3 April 2021, showed that the footfall drop in March was above the…
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Mar- 2021 -23 MarchEconomy
Gov to create hubs to boost international trade
The Department for International Trade (DIT) has announced the creation of four new trade and investment hubs which will channel the economic benefits of international trade directly into Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the North of England. The trade hubs in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and a new site in Darlington,…
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22 MarchSupermarkets
Spar International expands anti-food waste collaboration
Spar International has announced it will be enhancing its collaboration with digital platform Gander to further tackle food waste. The partnership was initially launched in Northern Ireland and has grown to become a global agreement. The partnership will facilitate a wider roll-out across Spar markets, strengthening the collaborative, global approach…
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17 MarchCoronavirus
Northern Ireland to allow click-and-collect from 12 April
The Stormont Executive has revealed parts of Northern Ireland’s map out of lockdown which will see non-essential retail click and collect services return in April. While the majority of the current restrictions will remain in place until after Easter, the Executive agreed to gradual changes which will come into effect…
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3 MarchGovernment
NI Executive reveals phased lockdown exit plan
Ministers for Northern Ireland’s devolved government have announced phased plans to take the country out of its current lockdown restrictions. Yesterday (2 March), the Executive agreed on a final version of the ‘Pathway to Recovery’ strategy, which will focus on reopening key areas of the economy, such as retail and…
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Feb- 2021 -19 FebruaryCoronavirus
NI extends lockdown until 1 April but click and collect widened
The Stormont Executive has announced it will extend the current lockdown restrictions in Northern Ireland until 1 April. However, first minister Arlene Foster did reveal that more non-essential retail businesses will be able to resume click and collect services from 8 March. The scope of those allowed to operate click…
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2 FebruaryHigh Street
Footfall remains above first lockdown levels despite poor weather
Footfall across UK retail destinations rose by just +0.4% last week from the week before as poor weather deterred high street shoppers, according to the latest data from retail experts Springboard. It found that there was a “noticeable increase” in visits to retail parks as footfall rose by +4.7% and…
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Jan- 2021 -14 JanuaryCoronavirus
£95m Northern Ireland retail voucher scheme put on hold
A £95m high street voucher scheme, first announced by the Northern Ireland economy minister in November, has been referred to the next financial year, according to the BBC. The scheme is intended to support retailers that have been hardest hit by the pandemic, possibly through a pre-paid card system. Similar…
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