In the four weeks from 4^th to 31^st October, footfall across Northern Ireland decreased by 3.1% (year-on-year), down from 2.1% in September.

Meanwhile, footfall in Belfast decreased by 5.3% (year-on-year), down from 0-0.1% in September. Providing some promise, shopping centre footfall increased by 1.3%, down from 2.0% the previous month.

The latest figures from NIRC-Sensormatic reflects a continued caution on the part of shoppers.
“The regular news coverage about the economy and speculation about the budget appears to have made shoppers more cautious. In addition, the stormy weather in the third week undoubtedly kept many potential shoppers indoors at home,” said Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, Neil Johnston.

“Retailing clearly remains a tough challenge everywhere at the moment with decline in footfall even worse in England, Scotland and Wales. Shopping centres across Northern Ireland were the exception to the rule with a modest uplift of 1.3% – in contrast Belfast was down by 5.3%.

“The political uncertainty in Northern Ireland, including an Executive that has failed to set a budget all year, may be discounted by many but stability is disliked by consumers and businesses. NIRC would encourage all our political leaders to redouble their efforts, get back around the table and thrash out a budget – preferably one that doesn’t add costs to businesses and put pressure on prices in the shops in the run up to Christmas.”

Andy Sumpter, Head of Consulting & Analytics – EMEA for Sensormatic added: “October brought a sharp reversal in fortunes for Northern Ireland’s retail destinations, with footfall declining by -3.1% year-on-year.

“The result follows three consecutive months of growth and represents the weakest performance since April, suggesting that the positive momentum seen during late summer proved difficult to sustain as the Golden Quarter began.

“Adverse weather conditions associated with Storm Boelo caused significant disruption to shopper activity during the month, with many consumers choosing to postpone trips to retail destinations as conditions deteriorated.

“The weather-related impact added further pressure at a time when households continue to navigate broader economic challenges and exercise caution around discretionary spending.

“Despite October’s setback, Northern Ireland has remained one of the stronger-performing retail markets in recent months. However, with footfall returning to negative territory, attention now turns to the Black Friday period and the festive season beyond. Retailers will be hoping that promotional activity and seasonal demand can help rebuild momentum and encourage consumers back into stores during the most important trading period of the year.”

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The new senior team structure is designed to accelerate growth, increase returns for Good Causes and improve the experience for players and retail partners by bringing key commercial, customer and technology capabilities closer together around Allwyn’s Retail and Digital channels, while elevating the role of marketing across the business.

To strengthen the connection between supporting Good Causes and playing The National Lottery, a new dedicated Director of Social Impact role will focus on communicating the positive impact of The National Lottery on communities across the UK, creating even more compelling reasons for people to play.

Current Chief Impact Officer Alastair Ruxton will take on this role, reporting to the CEO, to focus on the connection between Good Causes, social value and The National Lottery’s wider proposition.

As part of the focus on improving technology and customer experience, the Chief Technology Officer and Managing Director, Digital roles will end as technology capabilities will become more directly integrated into Digital, Retail and Security.

Responsibility for strategy and the future direction of the business will move to the CEO, and as a result, the Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer role will also end.

Current Chief Technology Officer Mark Smith will leave the business, but continue as Technology Strategy Adviser until June 2027, providing continuity as the new structure is established. Richard Dawkins, Managing Director, Digital, will leave the business in December 2026 after nearly three years, having led its Digital business through a significant period of change and driven innovation in the games portfolio. Sarah Venning, Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer, will leave Allwyn at the end of November 2026, having played an important role in shaping the company’s strategy and helping lead its transformation.

Two further new roles will be created to support this next phase of growth. A new Chief Digital Officer (CDO) role will bring together responsibility for digital products and channels, customer experience, technology, data and platforms, automation and AI, alongside accountability for the commercial performance of Allwyn’s digital channels.

A new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) role will bring together Brand, Marketing, Creative, CRM, Communications, Product Marketing, Winners’ Services and Customer Experience to create a stronger and more consistent connection with players.

Stephen Taylor will join as interim Chief Marketing Officer on 17^th November 2026. Stephen brings more than 30 years’ marketing experience across major consumer brands including PayPal, Samsung, Nokia and Pizza Express.  He joins from CMO Thrive, the strategic marketing advisory business he founded.

The new structure will take effect from 1^st December 2026.

CEO Phil Walker said: “The transformation of The National Lottery has involved an enormous amount of work across our business. Our challenge now is to turn that transformation into stronger growth, a better experience for players and retail partners, and more money for Good Causes.

“That means putting customers closer to our decisions, giving our Retail and Digital businesses the capabilities they need to compete and innovate, and creating much clearer accountability for performance.

“Good Causes are at the heart of what makes The National Lottery special. We have a real opportunity to help more people understand the extraordinary difference players make through The National Lottery and make that an even stronger reason to play.

“Changes of this scale inevitably affect people who have played important roles in getting us to where we are today. This next stage builds on what they have helped us achieve, and I want to thank them personally for the contribution they and their teams have made to The National Lottery.”

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Widely renowned for their traditional breads and hugely popular birthday cakes, The Village Bakery has established itself as the go-to bakery for families celebrating those special occasions.

Marking some of their own special occasions, the second-generation family bakery is now 42 years in business, with Joe McMahon at the helm back in 1984. Now sons Adam and Jason are running the business together, building upon a trusted reputation throughout County Armagh.

Since then, Joe and his wife, Linda have worked hard, dedicating themselves to creating a much-loved and tasty business serving a loyal customer base.

As Adam told NR, what started off as a small bakery with two people has risen its staff numbers to 13 and established a wholesale arm.

“Over those 40 years, the business has grown and developed; we have extended the bakery and developed a very good wholesale business too,” said Adam.

“We have the shop on the main street in Markethill, which serves the public five days a week, but the wholesale side has become a bigger part for us now. We deliver to stores within a 15 to 20-mile radius of the bakery, to towns and villages including Keady, Tandragee and Laurelvale, Hamiltonsbawn, and of course we supply to stores including Hunters and Hills here in Markethill.

“We are a small bakery and consumers have so much choice out there now, so for us, it’s about making sure the quality and freshness of the products is there and only using the best ingredients. We cannot make the products as cheap as factory bakeries, so you need to make sure you build a loyal customer base.”

Known far and wide for their jam and cream sponge birthday cakes, The Village Bakery has indeed built up a very loyal customer base, with Adam revealing they have customers travelling from Belfast and as far away as Enniskillen when wanting a special cake for that special occasion.

“You need a good team and staff around, then you need to look after and retain them and that all makes a difference. We have two employees that started straight after high school and both have worked here for 40 years, so we can’t be that bad to work for!” said Adam.

With a typical early start in the bakery business, Adam and the other bakers start at 5am each day, with the ovens, which are on a timer, already warmed up for that first early batch of fresh products.

“When the wholesale team come in at 7am, the products are already cooling and we stock the shop with freshly baked products each morning too. Our wholesale orders come in the day before, so we start baking them fresh. It can be a bit of a guessing game making sure you have enough baked for wholesale and for the shop!”

While Joe retired from the bakery a few years ago, stepping back and letting Adam and Jason take the helm in baking and running the business, The Village Bakery continues to be a proud family business, with the brothers overseeing the baking and running of the bakery, while mum Linda looking after administration.

READ THE FULL FEATURE ON THE VILLAGE BAKERY IN THE OCTOBER ISSUE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER HERE

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It is understood that a draft text spanning some 200 pages for the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement has been sent to EU nations in Brussels to consider, according to the BBC.

SPS measures are protections established to safeguard human, animal and plant health around the world and affect trade in various agricultural commodities, including live animals, animal-derived food and plant-based products.

The nature of SPS controls calls for diligent collaboration between importers and suppliers in order to guarantee compliance and mitigate supply chain disruption.

A range of adjustments to these SPS controls for goods imported from the EU into the UK came in 2024, with more last year and Phase 3 labelling now requires many food and retail goods to be individually labelled ‘Not for EU’, including foods which use meat or dairy products as a component, such as pizza or lasagne.

Foods such as pre-packed and sealed fruit and vegetables, including apples, oranges and blueberries; green beans and other packaged vegetables and herbs, including those in bags, all need individual labels in Phase 3.

The BBC has reported the deal could see the resumption of exports to the EU of fresh sausages, burgers and shellfish from domestic waters; it would remove inspector fees, organic certificates, some port fees amongst other checks for exports and imports to the EU; and it would also end the requirement of £25 phytosanitary certificates showing plants or plant products are free from diseases and pests.

Any deal will have a significant impact on Northern Ireland, where its Brexit deal meant it remained inside the EU’s single market for goods, requiring food products from elsewhere in the UK to complete paperwork and physical checks when coming into the region’s ports.

Head of FSB NI, Roger Pollen told NR: “Anything that reduces trade friction between Great Britain and Europe should also ease the challenges of getting products into Northern Ireland.

“This draft deal is welcome in principle, but we look forward to seeing the details and understanding how it will impact businesses on the ground,” he added.

Meanwhile, Director of Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, Neil Johnston said that the retail industry is hopeful that a deal can be concluded by the UK-EU Summit planned for 20^th November.

“The retail sector, alongside our agri-food and logistics partners, have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to comply with the SPS requirements of the Windsor Framework,” said Neil Johnston.

“They have been a considerable burden to all involved, but due to that hard work consumers have to date not noticed much difference on the shelves.

“The current arrangements have been all pain and no gain for the retail sector. We have paddled furiously below the surface to protect the UK internal market and to respect and protect the EU Single Market. All the hard work the retail industry has put in, largely unseen, needs to be rewarded by removing these barriers to trade as rapidly as possible.”

The post Cautious welcome for draft UK-EU deal on food exports first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Following Chancellor John Healey’s first budget, business owners and organisations have been reacting to the detail, with initial concerns focusing on the lack of breathing space being given to retailers.

The Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC) stated its disappointment in the budget, particularly for retailers and said the Chancellor has only added to their financial burdens rather than easing them.

“Retailers want to invest, create jobs and keep prices affordable for customers, but every additional cost makes those things more difficult,” said Neil Johnston, NIRC Director.

“That is particularly concerning at a time when households remain under pressure from the cost of living. The decisions at Westminster make it even more important that our own Executive does not add unnecessarily to the cost of doing business in Northern Ireland.”

Mr Johnston added that NI retailers should not find themselves at a competitive disadvantage because businesses elsewhere in the UK benefit from reforms which aren’t replicated here.

“We need an approach which recognises the importance of retail to employment, investment and communities across Northern Ireland,” he said.

“Executive Ministers cannot control every cost facing our members, but they can control the decisions they take at Stormont. The NI Budget is therefore an opportunity to demonstrate that this Executive understands the pressures on businesses and is serious about supporting economic growth.”

Meanwhile, the Director of CBI NI, Angela McGowan said the Budget was a stark reminder that the Executive needs to make the hard choices when it comes to tax and spending at the local level.

“Fiscal discipline matters and the Chancellor is undoubtedly charting a path through difficult circumstances,” she said.

“At a time of exceptional geopolitical pressures, using some fiscal headroom to absorb the genuine short-term shocks is preferable to loading additional permanent costs onto business and weakening investment.

“Firms will be disappointed that the Chancellor did not reduce the cost of hiring by increasing the employer NICs threshold – this would have given firms more space to create entry-level and boost employment.

“Relief for business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure firms will be welcomed ad hopefully the Barnett consequential will be applied in Northern Ireland. However, CBI will continue to press for wholesale reform to the rating system that we desperately need.”

Reacting to the Budget, Finance Minister John O’Dowd said significant financial pressures remain and said the financial package on the table from Westminster leaves a significant gap.

“There is a duty on the Westminster Government to fairly fund us. It is crucial they urgently get back round the table and work with us to agree a fair financial package that protects essential public services, supports transformation and places our finances on a sustainable footing,” he said.

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