Optometrist Michael Connor is also feeling the lingering effect of the department store fire.
Optician Michael Connor at his shop in Castle Street Picture by Hugh Russell. The street is open so just get down and do a bit of shopping". The businessman appealed for shoppers to try and support the traders of Castle Street. It's very important to start off the New Year on a good footing and I don't know if we will be able to do that". "I can't see some traders finishing trading this year. Mr Milligan said passing trade was "completely gone". Mr Milligan, who is a father-of-two, said plans to take on extra staff for Christmas were now on hold amid an "uncertain" future. Read more - Video: Iconic Primark building reduced to charred carcass "We are not covered for this because it is not shutting our business". All of that has now stopped because nobody can walk down the street," he said. "Everyone gets off buses and black taxis and walks down here. Since the fire, the businessman said footfall is down by a massive 90 per cent. Having traded at Castle Street since 2015, the business employs five staff, including a number of the 37-year-old's family. Staring ruin in the face, they have come together to ask the public to come and support them.Īmong them is Justin Milligan, who owns tech repair shop, iPhix. Some of the business owners have now spoken out about the devastating effect the Primark fire has had on their own businesses, many of which are family-owned and have been passed down through the generations. With the cordon around Primark set to remain in place for at least four months - taking in the busy Christmas shopping period - these traders now fearing they will not survive that long. With the street now partly-cordoned off, shoppers can no longer use it to access Royal Avenue, instead, having to turn off along Queen Street or Chapel Lane - affecting `passing trade' for businesses further down Castle Street. Once a bustling thoroughfare, over recent weeks they find themselves crying out for support. However, almost three weeks on from the Primark fire, business has taken a direct negative hit. Having stood the test of time, Castle Street traders usually greatly benefit from a busy passing custom, those coming into the city and leaving, stopping by to grab that `one forgotten item' on their list. Marie Louise McConville speaks to traders in the historic Castle Street who are fearing for their futures, amid concerns footfall will soon disappear.ĭESCRIBED as the gateway to the city centre from west Belfast, Castle Street is one of the city's most well-known streets.įrom pizzas and plums to eye exams and iPhones and from the `best burger in Belfast' to cakes, carpets and colours and cuts, shoppers have long been drawn to its electic range of shops. The blaze not only destroyed the iconic Bank Buildings but had a devastating effect on the livelihoods of the numerous independent traders running the diverse range of small businesses in the shadow of the desolate site. On August 28, a massive fire gutted Primark's flagship Belfast store.
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