TDKs retail team have helped international sports retailer Kukri secure a presence in Belfast City Centre for Christmas to sell their Ulster Rugby and Belfast Giants range.

We’re delighted to announce that Kukri will open a temporary shop in Victoria Square Shopping Centre, Belfast.

It is the first time Kukri has had a retail unit in Belfast City Centre. The shop will offer official Ulster Rugby and Belfast Giants merchandise, as well as a range of Kukri products. Also on sale will be a range of Kukri event products, including 2014 Hong Kong Sevens, 2014 World Club 10’s and other merchandise.

General Manager and Director of Kukri Sports Ireland, Terry Jackson, said: “We’re really excited to start this new venture at Victoria Square. We’ve been looking for an opportunity in Belfast City Centre for some time, and we’re thrilled to have a shop in Victoria Square for the coming months, that will create 8 new jobs for the duration of the shop. It will be great to offer Ulster Rugby and Belfast Giants merchandise in the heart of the City Centre, so even more people than ever can show their support for the teams.”

Mark Thallon Retail Partner at TDK commented “We are delighted to assist Kukri with this acquisition and have no doubt it will be extremely successful in the run up to Christmas and will complement the other occupiers in the scheme. This acquisition demonstrated TDKs ability to identify and secure retail premises for clients within a tight timeframe with the store opening within 6 weeks of our original instruction to find a suitable unit.”

The Kukri store will be open from October 2014 through to January 2015, and it will be officially opened at a launch evening on Thursday 9th October from 6pm-7pm with Ulster Rugby and Belfast Giants players in attendance.

As well as the store in Victoria Square, Kukri will continue their retail operations at the Kingspan Stadium and the Odyssey Arena. “This store will sit alongside our retail operations at the Kingspan Stadium and the Odyssey Arena, so fans of Ulster and the Giants will have plenty of opportunity to buy merchandise,” continues Terry Jackson. “Our shop in Victoria Square will also offer a range of other Kukri merchandise, including a range of Rugby accessories, running trainers and Kukri event merchandise like the World Club 10s and Hong Kong Sevens.”

Home to over 70 stores, Victoria Square is Belfast’s number one shopping destination. It’s located in the South Quarter of Belfast City Centre, with 800,000ft² of retail space over four floors. The Kukri Store will be located in Lower Ground store 32.

TDK retained client Pets at Home have recently opened their 10^thstore in Northern Ireland at Damolly Retail Park, Newry in a deal structured by TDKs retail team.

Pets at Home are the UKs largest Pet  supplies retailer with over 350 stores. The addition of the Newry store complements the units acquired by TDK over the past 2 years at Sprucefield, Ballymena, Craigavon and Enniskillen with more new stores in the pipeline.

Acting on behalf of Carpettright, TDK have recently negotiated surrenders on recently closed stores in Londonderry, Ballymoney and Omagh.

Commenting on this Mark Thallon of TDK said “Carpetright approached us towards the end of 2013 to take on the instruction and try and inject some momentum into their Northern Irish disposal programme. We are delighted to have completed on 3 surrenders in a relatively short period of time and look forward to working with Carpetright as they continue to rationalise their store portfolio.”

The addition of Carpetright as a client complements TDK strength in advising occupiers the Out of Town retail market with other active clients including Halfords, Pets at Home, Dunelm, Poundland, Mothercare and Costa Coffee.

TDK have been appointed sole letting agents of an exciting new restaurant and leisure development Boucher Square at Boucher Crescent, Belfast.

In one of the first new schemes to be developed in Belfast over the past 5 years, locally based Alterity Investments have secured planning for the new 4 unit scheme comprising c.12,000 sq.ft. of space dedicated to catering use.

The subject site sits directly opposite the successful Boucher Retail Park whose tenants include Next, River Island, HMV, New Look, Arcadia and Cotswold.

Commenting on the concept Mark Thallon Retail Partner at TDK said “We identified in conjunction with Alterity the need for a purpose built catering destination to serve the needs of both the working population and numerous shoppers who flock to the Boucher area. We believe the resulting scheme will satisfy the existing demand and this has been demonstrated by the level of interest received from established national catering operators”

The scheme will provide in excess of 12,000 sq.ft. of space and the completed units will be built to a high specification to include significant glazing and the scheme will benefit from in excess of 100 on site parking spaces.

For further details please download a copy of the brochure

TDK have been appointed as sole letting agents at Lisburn Leisure Park with effect from January 2014.

Lisburn Leisure Park is one of the primary leisure facilities within Northern Ireland. The scheme is home to the popular Lagan Valley LeisurePlex and a 14 screen Omniplex cinema which complements a strong catering offer from established names such as Costa Coffee, KFC, Subway, Ed’s Bar & Grill, Pizza Hut and Springsteen’s Diner.

Commenting on this instruction Mark Thallon Partner at TDK commented “We are delighted to start 2014 in a positive fashion with the appointment as letting agents in what is one of Northern Irelands most successful and popular leisure destinations. We hope to build on the good work of securing Costa Coffee in December 2014 and plan to secure additional occupiers who will add to the strength of the Park”

There are currently two units immediately available and further details can be found on the attached link.

Omni Shopping Centre got a major boost last week with the opening of a new H&M store in a deal structured by TDK’s retail team.

The Swedish fashion giant has taken over the former Tempest fashion outlet, which has a floor area of 1,207sq.m (13,000sq.ft) over two levels.  The addition of the Omni store takes H&M to 14 trading stores in Ireland.

Oct 1 (Reuters) – Poundland, Europe’s biggest single price value retailer, posted a 15.6 percent rise in underlying year earnings and said it was planning to have over 1,000 stores in Britain.

The group, which currently trades from 458 stores in Britain and Ireland, also said on Tuesday its new financial year had started well with trading ahead of internal expectations.

Value retailers have outperformed the market in the economic downturn as consumers, battling inflation rising faster than wages, have sought to make savings.

“There are some early but encouraging signs of improvement in the economy and in consumer confidence and Poundland is well placed to capitalise on any upturn, “ said Chief Executive Jim McCarthy.

Poundland, owned by private equity firm Warburg Pincus, made underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITA) of 45.4 million pounds ($73.5 million) in the year to March 31, up from 39.3 million previously.

Total sales rose 15 percent to 880 million pounds as its offer of over 3,000 products and over 1,000 branded goods from firms such as Cadbury, Heinz, Coca Cola and Kodak, all at a single price point of 1 pound, found favour with consumers.

Poundland opened a net 69 new stores in Britain and Ireland in 2012-13 and plans 50 net new stores in 2013-14, having already opened 30.

“Over time I’m confident that we will have over 1,000 Poundland stores in the UK,” said McCarthy.

He also sees potential for further international expansion after a profitable first full year of trading at the firm’s multi-price format Dealz business in Ireland.

Source: Reuters – October 1^st, 2013