Northern Ireland news and archive

Northern Ireland: All adults to get 100 pound voucher to use in physical stores

Every adult in Northern Ireland is to receive a 100 pound voucher to use in physical stores in a bid to stimulate local businesses as they reopen, the country’s economy minister Diane Dodds has announced. All people over 18 will be eligible to apply for a prepaid card which must be used in brick and mortar stores in the country, not online. The...

3 May 2021

Retail

Northern Ireland extends lockdown to April

Northern Ireland’s lockdown has been extended again in an effort to drive down Covid cases, this time until 1 April. It’s more bad news for non-essential retailers who have been closed since the end of trading on Christmas Eve as part of what was then planned to be a six-week lockdown, but was last month extended until March. The country’s first...

22 Feb 2021

Retail

Northern Ireland extends lockdown to March

Northern Ireland’s first minister Arlene Foster has announced that the country’s lockdown will be extended until 5 March in an effort to drive down Covid cases. Non-essential stores have been closed since the end of trading on Christmas Eve as part of what was then planned to be a six-week lockdown. But that has now been extended to March due to...

22 Jan 2021

Retail

Northern Ireland to enter six-week lockdown after Christmas

Non-essential stores in Northern Ireland will close at the end of trading on Christmas Eve ahead of the country entering into a new six-week lockdown on 26 December, meaning no in-store boxing day sales. Health minister Robin Swann said the “short, sharp interventions” introduced in October failed to yield strong enough results and so the new...

18 Dec 2020