Double celebration as Northern Ireland retail park attracts two retail giants - JD Gyms and Screwfix

Hillview Retail Park in Belfast is hitting the ground running in 2024 as it welcomes one of the UK’s fastest growing gym brands and a hardware and home improvement giant to the Crumlin Road.

JD Gyms, the fitness arm of popular high-street retailer JD Sports PLC, will open its first venue in Northern Ireland at the Crumlin Road site on January 30, following a £2.05m investment across a 23,000 sq ft footprint.

The following day Screwfix, the UK and Ireland’s largest supplier of Trade Tools & Hardware will open to the public, carrying an extensive product range available to commercial and domestic users.

Now sitting at 90% occupied, the scheme, owned by Hillview Centre Belfast Ltd, has only one 8,530 sq ft unit remaining vacant on the retail parade, a prominent drive-thru site and one drive-to site ideal for a café/restaurant, retail or a variety of other uses subject to the requisite planning consents.

JD Gyms, Screwfix and prospective future tenants will join German supermarket Lidl, discount retailer Home Bargains, Starbucks and Habitat for Humanity.

Hillview Retail Park has undergone a significant transformation in the last five years with total investment in excess of £10 million providing comprehensive revitalisation on the once derelict site.

Matthew McNutt, asset manager at Hillview Centre Belfast, said: “I am pleased to welcome JD Gyms and Screwfix to Hillview Retail Park, bolstering the strong occupier line-up and further establishing Hillview as a prominent retail, leisure and food & beverage destination. It is significant that JD Gyms have chosen Hillview as their first location on this island and their substantial investment, together with the opening of Screwfix, endorses the scheme as a much sought-after location on the northern periphery of the city centre.

“We remain focused on continued investment at Hillview as we strive to achieve our regeneration objectives, create new jobs for local residents and deliver a strategic commercial hub that caters for all sides of the community.”

Matt Sykes, head of operations at JD Gyms, added: “Hillview Retail Park is the perfect location for our first gym in Northern Ireland. With Hillview located just one mile from the city centre, within easy access of the primary motorway network and an area of c. 60,000 people, it felt like the perfect fit. It’s been fantastic to see the gym take shape over the last couple of months and we are confident there’s nothing like it in the area.”

Operating as a 24-hour service, JD Gyms will offer its customers a state-of-the-art facility with the best gym equipment, studios for hosting classes, Eleiko functional zone, dedicated free weights area, luxury changing rooms, sauna and more.