Northern Ireland outlet centre hails record year
The Boulevard outlet shopping centre in Banbridge, Northern Ireland has announced that 2025 was its most successful year to date, with record figures in both sales and footfall.
The centre finished the year with total sales up by 11.5% year-on-year, while footfall at the scheme increased by 12.3% compared to 2024.
Performance at the centre in December was particularly strong, marking the best month in The Boulevard’s history since it opened. Every week in December produced record sales growth, with the final trading week achieving a 24% uplift in sales and a 37% increase in footfall compared to the previous year. Overall, December at The Boulevard saw cumulative growth of 10.5% in sales and 19% in footfall.
In 2025, The Boulevard welcomed a number of major brands onsite for their first or only locations. Women’s fashion retailer, Vila opened its only standalone UK store, cosmetics brand BPerfect opened its first ever outlet store, French Connection opened its only Northern Irish store, and Swedish furniture giant IKEA opened its first-ever concept store at the scheme in 2025.
They joined existing tenants at the scheme such as Kate Spade New York, Marks and Spencer Outlet, Adidas, Nike, Under Armour, Kurt Geiger, GUESS, and Radley.
The Boulevard is owned by Lotus Property, advised by joint agents Johnstone Property Consultants and KLM Real Estate.
Paul McCann, asset manager at Lotus Property said: “2025 was an incredible year for The Boulevard. There have been so many highlights from welcoming incredible new tenants to seeing the footfall and sales continue to rise and more and more people choose it as their day out destination. It is a testament to everyone involved in the scheme who put so much effort and creativity into making it succeed. As we move into 2026, we are excited to see how The Boulevard continues to thrive, with our offering set to grow even further with the opening of Hollywood Bowl this year alongside more retailers.”
Chris Nelmes, retail director at The Boulevard, added: “These results demonstrate the strength of The Boulevard’s offering and our ability to buck national retail trends. Our strategy of combining a strong tenant mix with engaging seasonal activations and extended trading has clearly resonated with shoppers who continue to choose us over our counterparts and online retailers. We are proud to deliver sustained growth in what has been dubbed a challenging time for the retail industry. We look forward to building on this success in 2026 with a number of exciting projects currently underway.”