Pepe Jeans and Levi’s close their Victoria Square stores

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Feb 8, 2018

Two high-profile denim brands have left Victoria Square shopping centre in Belfast amid declining footfall numbers across Northern Ireland.

The mall was named the country’s most popular shopping centre for the seventh year in a row last year, but Levi’s and Pepe Jeans London have both shut their Victoria Square stores in the last few weeks, according to The Belfast Telegraph.

A spokesperson for Levi’s confirmed the closure and said: "The decision to close the store was made as part of Levi's broader retail strategy, which focuses on ensuring our stores offer the best brand experience for the consumer, in the right location.”

Levi’s will continue to monitor the retail landscape in Belfast for future opportunities, said the spokesperson.

Victoria Square was the home of both Levi’s and Pepe’s only store in Northern Ireland.

Their departure comes as high street and shopping centre footfall continue to drop across the country. According to the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, footfall in high streets and retail parks fell by 3.1% in December, while shopping centre footfall dropped by 3.2%.

Pepe Jeans has two further stores in London, and Levi’s operates more than 20 locations in the UK.