... but city centre trade positive despite ‘tough’ climate

BELFAST city centre retail is in a “positive” place with low vacancy rates — but the high street remains “extremely tough” for shopping, it has been claimed.

Donegall Place is Belfast’s central shopping area, with many big-name retailers including Boots and Marks and Spencer.

Colin Mathewson, senior director with CBRE, said: “The city centre story is very positive at the moment and clearly Donegall Place has very little vacancy with a number of outstanding BHS building itself, and that one solution could be to divide the space.

It remains empty despite growing take-up of retail space in Castle Lane, on the other side of Castle Place.

Recent openings there include coffee shop Patisserie Valerie and mens- requirements from retailers looking for suitable units.

“In general terms the prime retail core has seen a lot of positive activity over the last 12 months with vacancy levels much reduced.”

New arrivals on or off Donegall Place include Sports Direct, Stradivarius and Moss Bros.

A number of other major stores have also opened in the last two years, including an extended Zara, Skechers and Gap.

But retail analyst Donald McFetridge says “conditions are still extremely tough”.

In nearby Castle Place, a num- wear retailer Moss Bros. Colin Mathewson, senior director at CBRE, said: “I understand that they have interest from a number of potential occupiers on the basis of dividing the space, but this will clearly take a bit of time to organise.”

The Shutters came down on the Castle Place store last August with the loss of 57 jobs.

According to research by The Guardian, just 52 of BHS’s former 164 stores have found new tenants or have deals on the table. ber of units remain empty, including the former BHS store and Mothercare.

Mr Mathewson said: “Mothercare recently closed and we are marketing this, with interest already registered from a number of parties.”

According to the latest figures, March was the third consecutive month of declining footfall here.

Andrew Webb, chairman of Belfast City Centre Management, said the The collapse of BHS sparked a parliamentary inquiry and left former owners Dominic Chappell and Sir Philip Green (left) potentially facing an investigation.

Sir Philip has borne the brunt of the public fallout, having been branded “the unacceptable face of capitalism” by MPs. He owned BHS for 15 years before selling it to Mr Chappell for £1.

Sir Philip came under fire for taking more than £400m in dividends, leaving BHS with a £571m pension deficit, and for selling area has had “significant investment in the street scape in recent years” and was a “far cry from 2008 when it faced the opening of Victoria Square, the recession and online retailing”. “Since then vacancies have fallen and it appears to be thriving,” he said.

But Mr McFetridge said: “The uncertainty about Brexit looms large in the mindset of many retailers and, specifically, the business to a man with no retail experience.

Following its collapse, Northern Ireland workers who lost their jobs were understood to be among hundreds who contacted a hardship charity once chaired by Charles Dickens for help.

The Fashion and Textile Children’s Trust said it had received applications from a record 460 families over a six-month period, and around 275 of them related to former BHS workers across the UK. the uncertainty about the arrangements for local government also have a great bearing on how consumers spend.”

Meanwhile, Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts said: “The general feedback on trade from our members was positive over Easter.

“The better weather and extended holiday was certainly a factor in improved sales.”

While there was an overall decrease of 0.2% in footfall between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, according to Springboard, there was an increase of 6.6% for leisure activity after 5pm.