The Boulevard, Northern Ireland’s only premier designer outlet, has announced that 2025 was its most successful year to date, defying national retail trends with exceptional growth in both sales and footfall.
The centre closed the year with total sales up +11.5% year-on-year and footfall increasing by +12.3% compared to 2024, reinforcing its position as one of the region’s leading retail destinations. Sales density also rose by +6%, reflecting strong performance across the entire tenant mix.
December delivered a particularly impressive finish, marking the best sales month in The Boulevard’s history. Every week in December recorded sales growth, with the final trading week achieving a record breaking +24% uplift in sales and a +37% increase in footfall compared to the previous year.
Overall, December saw cumulative growth of +10.5% in sales and +19% in footfall, driven by extended trading hours, seasonal activations, and a compelling mix of retailers, with several brands delivered standout performances throughout the festive period.
Beyond sales and footfall, 2025 saw The Boulevard enjoy record breaking leasing agreements as it welcomed multiple new major brands onsite as their ‘first’ or ‘only’ location. Women’s fashion retailer, Vila opened its only standalone UK store, leading cosmetic brand BPerfect opened its first ever outlet store, French Connection opened its only Northern Irish store and Swedish furniture giant IKEA officially opened its first-ever concept store at The Boulevard in 2025.
These new additions contributed immensely to the outlet’s success last year, growing its offering even further and driving footfall, alongside popular pop-up stores including Calendar Club, Outside In, and SKYL as well as the schemes stalwart tenants kate spade ny, Marks and Spencer Outlet, Adidas, Nike, Under Armour, Kurt Geiger, GUESS, Radley and more.
Paul McCann, asset manager at Lotus Property said: “2025 was an incredible year for The Boulevard. There have been so many highlights from welcoming incredible new tenants to seeing the footfall and sales continue to rise and more and more people choose it as their day out destination. It is a testament to everyone involved in the scheme who put so much effort and creativity into making it succeed. As we move into 2026, we are excited to see how The Boulevard continues to thrive, with our offering set to grow even further with the opening of Hollywood Bowl this year alongside more retailers.”
Chris Nelmes, retail director at The Boulevard, said: “These results demonstrate the strength of The Boulevard’s offering and our ability to buck national retail trends. Our strategy of combining a strong tenant mix with engaging seasonal activations and extended trading has clearly resonated with shoppers who continue to choose us over our counterparts and online retailers. We are proud to deliver sustained growth in what has been dubbed a challenging time for the retail industry. We look forward to building on this success in 2026 with a number of exciting projects currently underway.”
The Boulevard is owned by Lotus Property and advised by joint agents Johnstone Property Consultants and KLM Real Estate.
