THE ENTERTAINER SET TO BRING THE FUN-FACTOR TO THE JUNCTION

~New store represents a £300,000 investment and will create eight new jobs~

£300,000 is being invested in the popular Antrim-based shopping destination, The Junction Retail and Leisure Park, as the centre announces the arrival of toy retailer The Entertainer.

Occupying a 4,000 sq ft unit, up to eight new jobs will also be created when the new store opens its doors to the public in June this year. The store will be located next to the Beauty Outlet in the retail park.

This will be The Entertainer’s second store in Northern Ireland, with an existing unit already operating in Castlecourt Shopping Centre. The popular toy retailer stocks a wide selection of toddler and children’s toys at discounted prices, featuring brands including Disney, Lego and Marvel.

The arrival of The Entertainer is part of The Junction’s growing portfolio of retail and leisure brands as part of its ongoing £30m redevelopment plan. Last year saw the arrival of leading sports retailer, Intersport, and the UK’s fastest growing beauty retailer The Beauty Outlet. In addition, the construction of a state-of-the-art drive-thru McDonalds restaurant was completed and opened to the public in November and global restaurant chain Nando’s announced it is set to open its doors at The Junction later in 2019.

The announcement of The Entertainer follows the completion of a new Lidl supermarket, which created eight new jobs and is based at The Junction retail complex.

Commenting on the new store announcement, Craig Stewart, Senior Asset Manager from Lotus Property, said:

“The arrival of The Entertainer will be a very welcome addition to The Junction, offering more choice for our customers and creating new jobs at the centre.

Our vision for The Junction is to create a vibrant retail and leisure destination in Antrim that will offer a wide selection of eateries, retailers and leisure innovations that will guarantee an excellent day out for the local people of Antrim and for those from further afield.

Recently we’ve announced a number of new investments and we will continue the momentum of improving the retail park in 2019 through our planned redevelopment of the scheme and further exciting new brands in the coming weeks”

Andrew Milner-Walker from The Entertainer added:

“We were impressed to learn of The Junction’s redevelopment plans and felt it was a prime opportunity for us to build The Entertainer’s brand presence further in Northern Ireland.

“As a family-owned business, we are excited to launch our new store in Antrim’s leading shopping destination, where catering for a family-market is a key focus”.

For further information, visit www.thejunctionshopping.com or follow The Junction on Facebook, Facebook.com/TheJunctionAntrim, follow @JunctionAntrim on Twitter or Instagram @TheJunctionAntrim.