The Lotus Property-owned retail scheme The Junction in Northern Ireland has signed up garden centre Dobbies for a 110,000 sq ft Dobbies store.
Plans have revealed details of the £10 million deal which will incorporate an outdoor garden centre, an indoor plant area, a pet & bird care department, a food hall, a children’s soft play area and new restaurant and café.
The store is expected to attract a footfall of around one million visitors per annum, a massive boost to the scheme and the local area as well as being a gamechanger for the Northern Irish retail landscape, as the sector seeks to bounce back from a difficult 12 months following the Covid-19 pandemic.
The proposed new store will create 150 new full and part-time jobs, making it one of the largest employers at The Junction and within Antrim town.
Welcoming the news Lotus Property managing director, Alastair Coulson commented: “We are thrilled to be able to reveal Dobbies as our latest addition at The Junction. This is a real boost not just for The Junction, but for Antrim and Northern Ireland as well, bringing significant investment and jobs to the area and putting Northern Ireland on the map as one of the UK’s most promising retail environments.”
Graeme Jenkins, CEO at Dobbies said: “Our Lisburn store is one of our most popular and we want to build on this success with a complementary store in Antrim. The Junction Retail and Leisure Park is a fantastic location and this development reinforces our ongoing ambition for growth.
