Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre retailer, today (Tuesday 18 May) announces plans for a second store in Northern Ireland, located at The Junction Retail and Leisure Park. This is part of a £10m investment in the shopping destination.
At 110,000 sq ft, it will be one of the biggest stores in the Dobbies’ estate and will create in the region of 150 new full and part-time roles, making it one of the biggest employers at The Junction.
Existing retail space will be redeveloped to incorporate a ‘not your average’ garden centre experience for customers, with plants and gardening products; pet department; home and cookshop; books, toys and gifts; as well as seasonal items. There will also be a foodhall and restaurant.
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.
“The Junction has a strong retail offer and we are very much looking forward to working with them, contributing to a must-visit leisure and shopping destination.”
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.
“The last year has proven to be a very difficult trading environment for many retailers but this decision by a growing company likes Dobbies is a massive vote of confidence in The Junction as a retail destination.
“Dobbies proposal to open one of their largest stores anywhere in the UK complements brilliantly our existing portfolio at the retail park and our long-term vision to transform The Junction into one of the largest retail and leisure destinations in Northern Ireland. We look forward to working with the company in the coming months to deliver this exciting project.”
A public consultation on the plans will commence in the coming weeks.
· Established in 1865, Dobbies is now the UK’s leading garden centre retailer, with 73 stores.
· A turning point in the business came in 2019 with the acquisition of 37 stores, more than doubling the company’s footprint.
· Dobbies operates 69 mainline garden centres and four small format, little dobbies, stores.
· Dobbies aspires to be ‘not your average garden centre’; we exist to enrich people’s lives and nurture connections between people, the community and the environment.
· Dobbies is proud to be a supporter of #terracarta, launched by HRH The Prince of Wales’ Sustainable Markets Initiative.