Savills has appointed Darren Best and Mark Duffy to their expanding Northern Irish retail division. The firm says that a strong recovery in the sector has significantly increased the demand from retailers for its property consultancy services.

Darren Best joins Savills as Associate Director following 8 years at Colliers International. Darren has extensive experience in the retail sector throughout the island of Ireland and the UK. He has been involved in many key retail schemes and has advised numerous high-profile retailers and landlords.

Mark Duffy joins the Savills Northern Ireland retail division following a period in the firm’s Dublin office where he worked with both the Hotels & Leisure and Development Land divisions. Mark is now directly involved with key shopping centre schemes such as Castlecourt, Rushmere and Cityside.

According to Savills, Northern Ireland’s retail scene, particularly Belfast, is looking its healthiest in 5 years.

Paul Wilson, Retail Director from Savills commented;

“2015 was a transitional year for many retailers, which has reflected positively on Northern Ireland’s high street. Further employment and wage growth, coupled with lower energy costs, have helped consumer confidence improve to a record high and this has translated into positive retailer performances. Furthermore, refuelled interest has been aided by the Northern Ireland commercial rates revaluation.”

2015 saw a high volume and variety of retail deals brokered and transacted by the Savills. Some of these high profile deals included Harvey Norman - Boucher Plaza, Primark - Omagh & Belfast, Oak Furnitureland - Shane Retail Park, Ireland’s first store, The Yankee Store - Bluewater, and a number of stores for new NI entrant Yours Clothing.

From its pool of new retailers, major hype has focused on the long awaited arrival of bakery giant Greggs – advised by Savills – who plan to open multiple outlets throughout the Province.

Looking further ahead, Savills predict that due to the high level of retail demand in Belfast City Centre, there is now a lack of supply of larger retail floor plates, which is the catalyst for new development in 2016 and beyond.