The Ulster Unionist Party’s Economy Spokesperson, Alan Chambers MLA, has welcomed the donation from Primark of £500,000 towards revitalising Belfast City Centre after Bank Buildings were recently destroyed by fire.
Alan Chambers said:
“If ever a group of people deserved a morale booster at the present time it is the Belfast City centre traders suffering from the aftermath of the devastating Primark fire.
“I hope that this donation will lift the spirits of traders coming to terms with either a complete temporary closure of their premises, or falling trade resulting from greatly reduced footfall.
“The drop in trade can be very scary with the added worry of whether the customers will return when normality is restored. Traders can draw on their professional experiences to deal with competition and other adverse trading conditions but when the cause is totally outside your control, it is difficult to cope with the sense of helplessness.
“I am sure everyone trading in the city centre will welcome the Primark donation and also be reassured by the commitment given to Belfast by the company management to get back trading as quickly as possible. The disaster will doubtless have been quite a body blow to them as well. Hopefully Belfast shoppers will reciprocate this welcome gesture by continuing to support Primark once new premises have been located, and all the other traders in the city centre especially with the busy - and vitally important - Christmas trading period fast approaching.”