Sporting heroes get in the game to deliver Lidl Northern Ireland’s Sport for Good Schools Programme mental health workshops

25 winning schools across Northern Ireland secure coveted place on retailer’s established Mental Health Athlete Mentorship programme delivered by the region’s sporting legends

Lidl Northern Ireland has selected 25 secondary schools across the region to benefit from a dedicated Mental Health Athlete Mentorship programme this academic year as part of the retailer’s award-winning Sport for Good initiative, with each school also scoring £1,000 worth of brand-new sports equipment.

This week, the retailer announced 25 winning schools – hailing from towns from all across the region – who were selected for the programme following a call out for competition entries in October and were nominated by local shoppers.

A team of Northern Ireland’s best-known athletes have been selected and specially trained by the Youth Sport Trust, the UK’s leading charity improving young people’s education and development through sport and play, to run a series of workshops targeted at secondary school pupils, with a focus on boosting young people’s social skills, self-esteem and body confidence through sports participation.

Representing a strong cross-section of sport and boasting an impressive array of achievements, the stellar line up of NI sports stars delivering this year’s mental health workshops include four-time Paralympic athletics champion Michael McKillop MBE, Olympic steeplechase athlete, Kerry O’Flaherty, Olympic hockey heroes, Shirley McCay MBE and Eugene Magee, Northern Ireland netball international and Armagh ladies' Gaelic footballer, Caroline O’Hanlon, and female rugby union international and Olympian, Ashleigh Baxter.


Wirefox acquires prime Belfast city centre office building

20.12.2022

Wirefox acquires prime Belfast city centre office building

Leading investment firm Wirefox confirms acquisition of ‘35DP’ ahead of The Paper Exchange launch in early 2023

Leading investment and development company Wirefox has acquired 35-47 Donegall Place in Belfast city centre for an undisclosed sum.

The former bank building, known as 35DP, is a prominent five-story retail and Grade A office space, encompassing 80,000 sq ft, which fronts on to both Donegall Place and Fountain Street, and is located just seconds from Belfast City Hall.

Consisting of three retail units on the ground floor, including flagship store Boots which has occupied the building for 55 years, and four upper floors of distinctive, flexible and modern air-conditioned office accommodation, the property recently benefited from an extensive repositioning and refurbishment by GRAHAM Interior Fit-Out ahead of its sale.

Main tenant Boots signed a new 10-year lease for the building in 2020.

Wirefox said its ownership of 35DP will complement its new state-of-the-art Grade A professional office development known as The Paper Exchange on nearby Chichester Street.

Work started on the landmark 11-story 200,000 sq. ft building, which has been designed by Wirefox and TODD Architects, in February 2020 and is due to be completed early in the New Year. Around 150,000 sq. ft of the mixed-use scheme is office accommodation.

Both 35DP and The Paper Exchange are being marketed for lease by Savills and Colliers International in Belfast.


Primark’s newest UK store opens to the public at Rushmere Shopping Centre

16.12.2022

Primark’s newest UK store opens to the public at Rushmere Shopping Centre

Rushmere’s latest new store openings create more than 170 new jobs and promise more variety and value for excited shoppers as Primark and Poundland arrive in time for Christmas

Popular fashion retailer Primark officially has officially opened its doors at Rushmere Shopping Centre, thrilling thousands of visitors who streamed through its doors for a first look at the stunning new store.

Primark confirmed it was locating its new store at Rushmere Shopping Centre in March and following a major refurbishment of a 30,800 sq. ft space in the former Debenham’s unit as part of a £6 million investment, it finally opened at 10am on Friday.

The new Primark Craigavon-Rushmere store follows the retailer’s recent announcement to invest £140 million in its UK business over the next two years, by growing its store estate in addition to store upgrades and refurbishments planned for existing stores across the UK.

Hundreds of shoppers queued in the dark to front the long queues for the official opening which was attended by senior representatives from Primark, the Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Councillor Paul Greenfield, and Rushmere Shopping Centre Manager Martin Walsh.


Charles Hurst announces new partnership with iconic British performance car brand Lotus

29.11.2022

Charles Hurst announces new partnership with iconic British performance car brand Lotus

Belfast’s Boucher Road showroom will be the only outlet for Lotus within Northern Ireland

Charles Hurst, Northern Ireland’s biggest car retailer and part of motoring giant Lookers PLC, today confirmed an exclusive new partnership with iconic performance car brand Lotus.

It will see the company open a brand new state-of-the-art Lotus showroom at its renowned Boucher Road site. Set to open its doors to customers in early 2023, the premier new showroom will be the only outlet in Northern Ireland for Lotus.

Designed to exacting standards, the showroom will benefit from a bespoke premium fit-out featuring the latest Lotus visual identity. It will also incorporate the latest technology to support the move to electric vehicles, plus a range of innovative features to provide customers with a high-end showroom experience.

With order books already open, the highly anticipated range of new and used Lotus vehicles available through Charles Hurst will include the all-new Lotus Emira sports car and the all-new and all-electric Lotus Eletre hyper-SUV.