Fresh Jobs Land At Belfast Park Centre

Up to 21 new full and part-time jobs are set to be created in west Belfast after a local shopping centre, the Park Centre signed a trio of new tenants.

The Park Centre, located on the Donegall Road just off the Broadway roundabout, now includes Specsavers, Feetish fish pedicure and one of the UK's largest card chains, Card Factory. Overall the retailer investment exceeds more than £400,000.

The new tenants supplement the 40 existing retailers, which include Dunnes Stores, Peacocks, The Beauty Box, New Look and Ireland's largest grossing Iceland store.

Centre Manager Chris Newton said: "The three new tenants are a welcome addition to our existing stores and highlight our commitment to satisfying the needs of the local community.

"During 2005 -2008 we completed a £10m refurbishment and are continually looking for ways of improving the Centre - for example the recent improvements to our First Trust Bank cash machines now make them more convenient for shoppers requiring disabled access.

"In addition, Feetish and an upcoming pop-up Christmas shop are reactions to changes in customer shopping trends," he said.

Brian Gaffney, Director of the Park Centre's letting agent, Colliers International says the news represents "a strong commitment to South and West Belfast in tough economic times".

He added: "We are delighted to be in a position to confirm three lettings in today's challenging retail environment.

"Specsavers are signed for a 15-year period which highlights their commitment to the Centre as well as to its strong customer base in the area.

"Colliers International (Belfast) manages and lets more than 15 shopping centres across the UK and has found that there is still an appetite for growth, albeit on a lesser scale.

"These new lettings will encourage other retailers to follow suit and those who capitalise on current market conditions will create a low cost platform for future sales and profit growth," he said.

(BMcC/GK)