NEWS

Sunday 20 September 2026 M&S has confirmed its newly expanded Aldergrove store will reopen at 9am on Thursday 8 October following a major transformation that has increased the shop by 50%. The expansion into the neighbouring service station unit will bring more than 2,000 additional products to the store, alongside new facilities and a significantly wider M&S Food range. Bigger store and wider food range Among the changes will be a larger in-store bakery, upgraded coffee-to-g

(L-R) Caroline McKenna, Foodies Spokesperson, Eimear O'Sullivan, Corporate Affairs Director Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland Primary schools across County Antrim can now register for a new free food education programme aimed at helping young children build healthy eating habits and become more confident about fruit and vegetables. Lidl Foodies is open to schools across Northern Ireland and provides teachers of children aged four to seven with ready-made lesson plans, activit

One in four Northern Ireland shoppers had already started buying for Christmas by the middle of August, almost double the UK average, as households look to spread the cost of the festive season. New research from PwC shows Northern Ireland is leading the UK for early Christmas shopping, but the head start comes against a much tougher financial backdrop, with only three in ten local adults describing their household finances as “healthy”. The findings suggest many shoppers are

Crime fiction has taken the top spot at Waterstone’s Ballymena this week, with Ann Cleeves’ The Killing Stones leading a varied bestseller chart featuring thrillers, historical fiction, romance, fantasy and non-fiction. Lyse Doucet’s The Finest Hotel in Kabul takes second place, while Robert Harris’ Agrippa completes the top three. Elsewhere, readers are picking up titles from Lee Child, Virginia Evans, William Boyd, Pierce Brown and Richard Osman. There is also plenty arrivi

Asda Community and Customer Champion Ashley with ladies from the Antrim Community Support Hub Women from Antrim Community Support Hub have helped raise £116 for breast cancer charities during a special afternoon tea at Asda Antrim. The gathering brought members of the local group together for an afternoon of conversation, refreshments and fundraising as Asda marks 30 years of its Tickled Pink campaign. Friendship and fundraising Tickled Pink raises money to support the breast

Photos from 2025 Fashion Show, featuring local models and professional models from ACA Modelling Agency. ACA will be partnering with organisers again for this year’s show. Ballymena’s Autumn/Winter Fashion Show is returning for a fourth year next month, promising a night of new-season style, live music and entertainment following a sell-out event in 2025. The popular annual event will take over The Braid on Friday 9 October, bringing independent boutiques and high street reta

Tesco has been urged to include Northern Ireland customers in future fuel promotions after shoppers here were excluded from a 5% offer available across Great Britain. Ulster Unionist Party leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows has written directly to Tesco’s Chief Executive over the issue, arguing that customers in Northern Ireland should not be left at a disadvantage when major UK retailers launch promotions. The intervention follows an earlier complaint which resulted in

Women’s Aid Retail Manager, Michelle McIlwrath , Director of Finance Karen McConkey and CEO, Gillian Robinson. (Images: Danielle Kernohan Photography) A new Women’s Aid shop has opened in Ballymena, with every purchase helping to fund specialist support for women and children experiencing domestic abuse in the local area. The new premises at 23–25 Henry Street are the third retail outlet operated by Women’s Aid ABCLN and will also provide a place where women can access inform

Ballymena newsagent Eugene Diamond on Sunday as he serves his last day from his shop on Broughshane. Eugene retires after 47 years at the heart of local community. Sunday 30 August 2026 Every morning, for 47 years, while much of Ballymena was still sleeping, Eugene Diamond was already beginning his day. At 5am, the lights would go on inside his small shop on Broughshane Street. Before long came the factory workers heading for early shifts, followed by familiar faces Eugene ca

Dobbies has confirmed that its Antrim garden centre will close at the end of October after its new landlord, Frasers Group, decided to redevelop the site for new retail and leisure uses. The retailer said its immediate priority is supporting colleagues affected by the closure, although the number of jobs involved has not been disclosed. Redeployment opportunities and individual support options will be explored. The store opened at The Junction Retail and Leisure Park in 2023

The crowded streets of Belfast city centre during the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann The success of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann has become a “tipping point” for the debate over greater pedestrianisation in Belfast city centre, a councillor has claimed, amid growing calls for some of the temporary traffic restrictions to lead to permanent change. Belfast Green Party Councillor Brian Smyth says the “bottom line” is that the Fleadh “would not have worked without pedestrianisation in th

North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows talks with RetailNI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts during a visit to Fullan’s Foodhall in Portglenone North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows has urged people to support independent retailers on their doorstep, saying local shops remain a vital source of jobs and community services at a time when many businesses are facing “significant pressures”. Mr Burrows made the comments following a visit to EUROSPAR Portglenone as part of Retail NI’s High Street Heroes c

(L-R): Paul Frew MLA, Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon, Paula Campbell of Fullan’s Food Hall Portglenone, RetailNI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts and Jon Burrows MLA. People across Ballymena and the wider Mid and East Antrim area are being encouraged to put their favourite shops, retail workers and high streets in the running for recognition on the Northern Ireland stage. The public vote is now open for the High Street Heroes Awards 2026, giving customers th

A Ballymena property investment company has strengthened its growing retail portfolio with the acquisition of one of Derry’s best-known retail parks in a move that underlines continued confidence in Northern Ireland’s retail warehouse market. Magmel (Ballymena) Limited, headed by Ryan Walker and owners of Fairhill Shopping Centre and Braidwater Retail Park in Ballymena, as well as Riverside Retail Park in Coleraine, completed the purchase of Faustina Retail Park in Derry last

Waterstone’s Ballymena has revealed its latest Top 10 bestselling books, with local author Jan Carson taking the top spot in a chart that reflects a strong appetite for gripping fiction, memoir and practical lifestyle reads. Carson’s newest novel Few and Far Between leads the list, underlining the continued support for Northern Ireland writers, while bestselling thrillers, cookbooks and contemporary non-fiction round out a diverse and engaging selection for readers this week

(All photographs: Ewan Harkness) A brand-new The Food Warehouse store has officially opened in Ballymena, with 77 eager shoppers already waiting in line before the doors opened on Tuesday morning. The much-anticipated new store, located at Braidwater Retail Park, Ballymena, Antrim, BT42 3AG, welcomed its first customers on Tuesday 14 April, marking a major retail expansion for the town and delivering 23 additional jobs for the local community. In scenes that underlined the le

Primark has officially launched its first-ever mobile app in Northern Ireland, marking a significant digital step for the high street retailer as it brings real-time stock checks, personalised notifications and store information directly to shoppers’ phones for the first time. The move means customers across Northern Ireland can now browse favourite items, check availability before travelling to store and receive updates on new collections — a major shift for a retailer whose

The Team at Elite Lighting & Interiors in Ballymena Elite Lighting & Interiors marks 25 years as one of Ballymena’s best-known home and lighting retailers, celebrating a quarter-century in the town centre with a special anniversary sale and a renewed focus on growth. The long-established Church Street business, which first opened in Easter 2001, is marking the milestone by thanking customers for more than two decades of support and inviting shoppers to join in celebrations r

Ballymena shoppers are set to get a major new retail addition next week as The Food Warehouse opens its doors at Braidwater Retail Park on Tuesday 14 April, bringing an expanded range of grocery and household products, a jobs boost for the area, and a series of opening-day giveaways. The new large-format store, part of Iceland Foods, is expected to create 23 additional jobs for the local community and marks a significant expansion of the retailer’s presence in the town, wher

Winnie with her three daughters pictured outside Winnie’s 1975, in Broughshane. A much-loved Broughshane café and gift shop is entering a new chapter this week as the family behind Winnie’s 1975 prepares to hand over the keys after ten years at the heart of village life. In an emotional statement issued today, Wednesday 1 April, Winnie, owner of Winnie’s 1975 on Main Street, confirmed that the family has made the difficult decision to step away from the business, with new ow