Belfast booms after Troubles gloom

By Yvette Shapiro
Business correspondent

It is six o'clock in the evening. The streets are bustling, the tills are ringing with sales and you're surveying the scene from the window of a trendy cafe bar while sipping a Mojito and nibbling on some tapas.

Nightlife in Belfast could give London a run for its money

So, you must be on a city break in Barcelona, or some other cool European capital.

Actually, it's Belfast. On a Monday night.

A week after the DUP leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams sat side-by-side at Stormont to herald a new political era for Northern Ireland. And, perhaps, a new social era.

"Seven years ago, when we opened this place, Belfast was a ghost town after half past five," said Morgan Watson, manager of the Apartment bar.

"Now it's really buzzing in the early evening. It is largely because of peace, people feel they no longer have to rush home to their own enclaves as soon as they finish work.

"Now they're keen to stay in town, have a bite to eat and do some shopping. It's so much more relaxed." A year ago, the city council launched an initiative to boost what it calls the "evening economy".

Evening economy officer Wendi Kane persuaded the major retailers in Donegall Place, Royal Avenue and CastleCourt to extend their opening hours to 1900 GMT, with late night opening to 2100 GMT on Thursdays as usual.

She admits there was some scepticism at the start but the stores soon came on board.

"Most of the nationally-owned stores were used to later trading hours in other British cities and were happy to take part in the experiment.

"We've had really positive feedback from managers, shoppers and tourists who find the later opening much more convenient."

Paul McMahon, manager of the CastleCourt shopping centre, said 90% of the retailers in the mall stayed open until 1900 BST and it is paying off for them.

"Some retailers have reported an uplift of around 6% in their daily footfall because of the extended opening hours," Mr McMahon said.

"In fact, that last hour of trading can be as busy as eleven o'clock in the morning. Some shops are taking between six and eleven percent of their day's takings in the final hour.

"The scheme works on several levels: it's good for the retailers, it's good for the local shoppers and it's good for tourists who can now make better use of the city in a more relaxed trading environment."

Trade upsurge

Another major retailer told the BBC that when the extended opening began last spring they experienced an immediate upsurge in trade, which has grown steadily ever since.

The manager said: "We were taking between £5,000 and £6,000 an hour during the final two hours. We found that people were lingering in the store and were buying more items than they normally would on a visit."

Shopping makes you hungry and thirsty, and the pubs and restaurants are also reaping the benefits of the longer trading hours.

Some are offering early evening "meal deals" or live music sessions to entice shoppers.

This time next year, the city centre will have a new retailing giant to contend with - House of Fraser is the anchor tenant of the Victoria Square complex which is on the edge of the central business district.

The expectation is that the stores in this new mall will trade until 2100 BST every night, and it will also have bars and restaurants on site, as well as roof-top apartments.

Belfast's retail environment is changing, says Councillor Diane Dodds, chair of the council's tourism committee.

"We have out-of-town shopping centres opening late every single night and there's no reason why Belfast city centre can't do the same," said Cllr Dodds.

"There's also an increased residential population in or near the city centre and we must serve that market, too.

"This is a very positive initiative for Belfast and we're keen to extend it more widely, for the benefit for everyone, locals and tourists alike."

Certainly, the later opening is proving popular with visitors.

An Italian couple were pleasantly surprised to find that Boots was still open at 1745 BST, having been warned before they came to Northern Ireland that the province was a little, shall we say, parochial about its opening hours.

"We have seen so much about Northern Ireland on the news, and we were keen to come here to see if the political changes were mirrored in social changes," said Sal Vidrio.

"The city is very relaxed, very European. This is good for us, and for you, yes?"