On the back of revitalised growth in the Irish market, particularly in homewares and furniture, Harvey Norman has relocated its Newtownabbey site to the former Fultons’ store at Balmoral Plaza off Boucher Road in south Belfast.
The company will make the 61,000ft two-level outlet its flagship base in Northern Ireland. As well as a refit, the new showroom will employ at least 15 new staff, according to the Belfast Telegraph. Following the refit, there will be three concession stores for flooring, soft furnishings and homewares as well as a 140-seater premium restaurant.
New figures from lobby group Retail Excellence Ireland (REI) state thataverage sales in the industry rose by almost 5% in the second quarter to the end of June Categories linked to Ireland’s burgeoning house market, however, are growing at a much faster rate. Furniture and flooring sales were up almost 12 % while garden centres were up close to 9%, according to the data.
Harvey Norman Ireland chief executive, Blaine Callard said the company wanted to tap into the ‘DNA of the building’ left behind by Fultons, but with a Harvey Norman twist.
Paul Wilson (director of Savills) Blaine Callard (CEO of Harvey Norman Ireland) and Colin Matthewson (CBRE) at the reveal of the new Harvey Norman location in Boucher Road, Belfast.
Iconic location
He told the paper, “This is without doubt the iconic furniture location in Belfast, not only because it’s on Boucher Road but because of the history of the building when it was Fultons.
“While our intention is to create a magnificent flagship Harvey Norman homestore, we’ll certainly be looking at ways to respect the DNA and heritage of the Fultons brand.
“It’s an exciting challenge for our store designers, something new from the bones of something old.”
Callard added: “Fultons was majestic and extravagant – a grand piano playing in the foyer – quite out of reach for most people.
“That won’t be our positioning here, the new store will still be luxurious, stylish, and ambitious in scale but much more accessible in terms of prices and designs.”
The company has signed a 15-year lease with a seven-year break and is making a substantial investment in the building. Work began in early July and its hoped the new store will open in October in time for the traditionally busy pre-Christmas rush.
“This is best foot forward for Harvey Norman in Belfast and in line with our international brand,” The Telegraph reported.
“This move makes sense for our brand in Belfast, our location at Valley Retail Park in Newtownabbey simply wasn’t working for us, and both the size and the location of the unit didn’t allow us to really showcase the brand in terms of our furniture and interiors offering.”
Coming out for Harvey
“In many ways this bold move represents a coming out for Harvey Norman as they aim to establish the Harvey Norman Boucher Road store as the number one retail destination for furniture and bedding in Northern Ireland.”
Harvey Norman designers said the new store would bare the hallmarks of the Australian-based retailer’s style with lots of new ideas.
Ryan Pheloung, general manager for furniture in Harvey Norman, will be taking on the role of creative director on the Boucher Road refit project.
He said, “This store will take retail design to the next level for Harvey Norman.
“Our local team will be designing every aspect of the shop from the ground up, with a very clear vision in mind: to bring the same vibrancy that customers love from our latest furniture collections but in a way that is new and exciting to Harvey Norman.
“The aim is to create something special – an inspirational space – where customers can browse and explore a vast showroom of interiors and design.”
Pheloung told the paper, “The store design is going to be a trend setting, bright airy space, I’d describe our inspiration as “modern rustic”.
“Customers can expect to find on-trend cool finds from around the world – all great quality at amazing value.”
To kick things off, Harvey Norman, Newtownabbey, will hold a big furniture and bedding clearance sale. Once all the stock in the Newtownabbey store is sold off, it will be closed.
In Northern Ireland, Harvey Norman currently employees 41 staff across two stores at Newtownabbey and at Holywood Exchange. The new staff will be employed in roles including sales, cashier and administration.