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Belfast’s new retail dawn
Opened earlier this month, the Victoria Square development in Belfast is the most expensive, most advanced shopping destination ever built in Ireland and is set to reshape the city's commercial credentials forever. Elizabeth Troake takes a look.
The lead-up to the opening of Belfast's Victoria Square shopping centre this month was surprisingly low key. Before the opening day itself there was precious little publicity outside of Northern Ireland. When one considers the song and dance that PR companies have made over similar openings this year, (Heathrow's Terminal 5, the Westfield shopping centre in London's White City and Liverpool One, to name a few) this is more than a little surprising. It is also a shame as the complex is one of the most exciting retail projects around, set to turn Northern Ireland's shopping culture on its head and symbolise a new era of peace and prosperity for the region.
Constructed by Multi Development UK, Victoria Square is the most expensive shopping centre ever built in Ireland and its opening this month increased the amount of shops in Belfast city centre by an astonishing one third. Amongst its 98 store units are the first Hamleys toy store in Ireland and the largest House of Fraser in the UK.
The project cost £400 million and consists of 17 different buildings, 1,000 car parking spaces and will provide jobs for 3,000 retail professionals. Its 14 acres of pedestrianised streets run across four levels and are covered by a huge glass dome, loosely reminiscent of Cornwall's Eden Project. At the top of the dome is a viewing platform from which visitors can enjoy panoramic views of Belfast.
The "regeneration" also connects the city's prime retail pitch of Donegall Place, Castle Lane, Castle Place and Royal Avenue as well as creating new links to the waterfront area which has been redeveloped over the past few years.
Speaking before the opening, Margaret Ritchie, minister for social development, said: "Victoria Square will truly transform Belfast city centre when it opens on March 6th, not only in retail terms but also in helping to extend the evening economy, create leisure opportunities in the city centre when the Odeon cinema opens in June, and provide new living space for people to reside in.
"The work that has taken place between Multi Developments and my department over the last five years is now a short time away from creating something everyone in Northern Ireland can use and be proud of". Paul Sargent, managing director of Multi Development UK, added: "This is a new social and cultural meeting point of a once divided city."
It is impossible to imagine the new, regenerated Belfast that this shopping centre will facilitate without comparing it to the city of ten years ago. It seems incredible that this seemingly up and coming city was at the centre of the violence in Northern Ireland until relatively recently. Between 1969 and 2001 over 1,500 people were killed in politically motivated incidents in the city, against a backdrop of fear and terrorism. Since the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998, however, Belfast has slowly been getting back on its feet and rebuilding itself as a peaceful, prosperous city. It is hoped that Victoria Street will symbolise a new era in the city's history which will see Belfast become a top retail destination. Keith Walls of Retail Human Resources, Belfast, said: "The opening of Victoria Square is excellent news for the retail sector in Northern Ireland. This is a further example of the booming market in the country."
As well as Hamleys, several mainland UK retailers are making their Northern Ireland debuts at Victoria Square, including Cruise, Hugo Boss, Urban Outfitters, Odeon cinema, All Saints, The Pier, Billabong and Reiss. This unprecedented line-up has given rise to the hope that Victoria Square will be a beacon to other international retailers, drawing in top names and thus directly benefiting Belfast's existing retail offering including Castle Court shopping centre and Lisburn Road.
Belfast City Centre Manager Andrew Irvine is confident that the new development will be advantageous to the city, with increased numbers of shoppers being drawn in from all over the country: "It's providing a service within the retail market place which has really been a void to date. We have been lacking at high end retail and that's what Victoria Square and a lot of their tenant retailers are going to provide for us." He added that, if plans to open the shopping centre on public holidays are given the go-ahead, "Belfast won't be the same again". With the global retail community now waking up to the possibilities that Northern Ireland has to offer, it is clear that the same could be said for the entire province.