Castle Court nets £1m by opening on Boxing Day

Castle Court shopping centre in Belfast notched up incremental sales of£1.1 million after opening on Boxing Day for the first time in its 14-year history.

Approximately three-quarters of Castle Court's 74 retailers traders on December 26, when many retailers elsewhere in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Eire chose to remain closed.

Retailers that opened in Castle Court included Debenhams, Gap and Virgin - the latter doubling its sales year on year after being the only shop in the centre to open the previous year.

'It was an opportunity to meet consumer demand, it was a risk and it paid off,' said centre manager Mike O'Hagan.