Insight & Intel
Insight & Intel: May 2025
Satisfy your sweet tooth with confectionery insights
It appears our Northern Ireland audience have a sweet tooth with 74% buying chocolate and confectionery on a weekly basis – 38% of whom buy multiple times a week! Our latest work.shop.play. survey on confectionery also revealed a lack of brand loyalty with over half buying a range of different chocolate and confectionery brands and 35% who enjoy trying new brands and variations. A third also admitted to buying chocolate and confectionery after seeing it advertised. When it comes to average weekly spend, our NI audience spend £8.20 on chocolate and £5.59 on sugar confectionery such as sweets, toffees, gummies and lollipops.
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Translink reveal transport plan for the 153rd Open
With the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush less than 3 months away, and with more than 250,000 people expected to attend, Translink have revealed their transport plan for the event that includes additional bus, coach and train services as well as The Open Park & Ride options. Announcing the transport plan, Translink Northern Area Manager, Sarah Simpson, said: “After the success of 2019, we are looking forward to The Open’s return to Northern Ireland. With tens of thousands of people heading to the Causeway Coast to watch the world’s greatest golfers, public transport will once again play a vital role in showcasing this area to a huge audience”. Running from 13-20 July, the event, which will see some of the sport’s top golfers descend on Royal Portrush, is expected to deliver more than £150 million to the region.
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Spanish retail brand, Bershka, bound for Belfast
Inditex, the Spanish retail group behind Zara, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti and Stradivarius, is set to bring its Bershka brand to Belfast with the opening of its first Northern Irish location. There are 850 Bershka stores globally with Belfast the latest market for the retailer to break into. Whilst it’s rumoured the new store will be located in Victoria Square; the location is still to be confirmed. However, recruitment for a Store Manager and a Visual Commercial team member are already underway to join ‘Bershka Belfast’ meaning the opening is likely sooner rather than later. The announcement follows the recent opening of women’s fashion retailer, Vanilla, in Belfast’s Castlecourt and the news that premium men’s shoe retailer, Loake, is set to open in Victoria Square later this year.
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Translink records increase of 3m passenger journeys
Northern Ireland’s public transport provider, Translink, has announced that an additional 3 million passenger journeys were made in 2024/25 compared to the previous year. The increase in passenger journeys is positive given Translink’s commitment to transforming public transport in Northern Ireland. Recent developments include the opening of Ireland’s biggest integrated transport hub, Grand Central Station, and York Street Station which acts as a gateway to Ulster University, Cathedral Quarter and City Quays. Further service improvements also includes contactless payments being made available on all services, and decarbonising public transport with the introduction of 250+ zero emission buses that have clocked up over 7 million emissions-free miles to date.
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Belfast Culture Night to return with new look in 2025
Belfast Culture Night, the free cultural event established in 2009 and based on the Temple Bar Cultural Trust Dublin event is set to return this year with a new look. The event, which was largely suspended due to the pandemic, will move from being ‘street-based’ to concentrating on venue-based events across a wider space in the city, with more community involvement. The event will also receive considerably more council funding than previously. At its peak, the event attracted over 100,000 attendees. Commenting on the event’s return, former Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, Áine Groogan said “I am buzzing to say that Culture Night will be back in Belfast in 2025. It is a great celebration of the best of Belfast, providing a fantastic free opportunity for the public to engage in the arts and have a positive impact on the nighttime economy”
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Global proud to support 16th PANI Awards
Ahead of its return in November of this year, Global are proud to once again support the Publicity Association of Northern Ireland Awards. Now in its 16th year, the awards celebrate the best creativity across Northern Ireland and showcase outstanding achievement from the advertising, marketing and allied media industries here. Aligning with our diverse outdoor advertising portfolio, and as champions of multi-product outdoor campaigns, Global will once again sponsor the ‘Outdoor – Best Cross Format Campaign’ category. A call for entries will take place later this year with the main awards ceremony taking place on Thursday 20th November 2025 at the The Culloden Estate And Spa in Belfast.
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