Retailing:In the cross-Border battle between two new discount fashion centres, The Outlet in Banbridge, Co Down, has easily won the first round.
The €103 million (£70 million) scheme opened ahead of its Dundalk-based rival and on a gloriously sunny April day just before the Easter bank-holiday.
Developers GML Estates could hardly hide their glee. Chairman John Farmer announced that one retailer had just reported that the target for first day sales had been taken in within an hour and 10 minutes of opening.
The unseasonable sunny weather certainly bought the shoppers out in force to the 18,581sq m (200,000sq ft) facility. About half the shops were open, including Ireland's first discount Armani stockist the Designer Studio.
High-end fashion retailers, Joseph and Ghost, mix with high street retail chains Principles and Warehouse.
A giant Marks & Spencer outlet, a Nike factory store and a Gap outlet are the main anchor tenants.
Beneath the glossy public relations for the early "soft" opening - the official celebration is due to take place on May 5th with a firework display and an additional 10 stores - lurks a hard competitive business tale.
Just 20 miles away at Ballymascanlan outside Dundalk in Co Louth, a rival centre is still planned after a long running legal challenge meant development work could not begin until September of last year.
Ballymac - as the rival centre is known - will be a little smaller than the Outlet with a floor area of 15,515sq m (167,000sq ft).
The promoters are two Louth businessmen with €60 million funding from the UK company, ING Real Estate.
According to Farmer, about 30 per cent of their trade will come from across the Border, with all shops offering either an exchange rate on euro or operating dual-currency tills.
