Four luxury brands to open in Queen's Arcade in Belfast

  • UTV
Queen's Arcade in Belfast. Credit: PA

Four luxury brands are to open new boutiques in Belfast's Queen's Arcade as part of a new, multimillion pound investment.

Global brands OMEGA, Breitling, Gucci Watches & Jewellery and Montblanc will each have their own dedicated showrooms in Queen's Arcade, creating a collection of stores in the iconic city centre arcade.

The new stores will sit alongside existing tenants including Lunn's Jewellers, Rolex, TAG Heuer, Jonathan Keys Opticians & Robinson's Shoes.

The new openings follow an extensive restoration programme of the Victorian Queen's Arcade which was carried out by its owners, Lunn's Jewellers, in 2019.

It included the restoration of the building's façade on Donegall Place, the laying of a bespoke Italian floor and the renovation of the interior's plasterwork.

Designed by James McKinnon and built in 1880, Queen's Arcade is a Category B1 listed building and Belfast's last remaining Victorian shopping arcade. It was purchased by Lunn's the Jewellers in 2002.

Work on the boutiques is scheduled to be completed by December 2021, with more than 20 new retail and back-office jobs to be created by Lunn's following the expansion.

John Lunn, Managing Director of Lunn's Jewellers, said the addition of new stores for four such iconic brands is a vote of confidence in Belfast and provides a boost for the city's retail offering.

"The opening of standalone boutiques for these luxury brands is a huge endorsement for Belfast as very few cities in the UK are able to enjoy this mix of stores. We are excited about the future for Queen's Arcade and will continue to invest to make it one of the premier shopping destinations in Ireland," he said.

Welcoming news of the investment, Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor Kate Nicholl said: "It's wonderful to see this investment in our city's heritage; Queen's Arcade is really special - a listed building and the last remaining Victorian shopping arcade in Belfast, so I'm delighted that this continued investment will help ensure it is enjoyed for many years to come."