THE Westwood Shopping Centre in west Belfast has been sold less than two weeks after going into receivership. It has been bought by Tirconnell Limited, the Northern Ireland subsidiary of the Edinburgh company Dunalastair Estates, for an undisclosed sum.

Mr Brian Turtle of the managing and letting agents, O'Connor Kennedy Turtle, said the speed of the sale was good news for west Belfast. "The scheme has tremendous potential," he said. "With the upturn in retail activity over the past 12 months, it is well placed to attract leading multiples to what is one of the most pleasant shopping environments in Northern Ireland."

Existing tenants at the 115,000 sq ft centre, which was opened in 1990, include Wellworths, McDonalds, Superdrug and Shop Electric, all of which had continued to trade while sale negotiations continued.

THE Portadown company Golden Cow is to become the main cheddar cheese cutting centre in Ireland for the Golden Vale group as a result of a £925,000 investment which has already created 12 new jobs. The plant, which supplies cheeses such as cheddar and cheshire to leading multiples throughout Britain and Ireland, has an annual turnover of around £25 million.

The investment is part of a £12.5 million being carried out by Golden Vale in Northern Ireland, where it now employs around 750 people. The first stage was the £11 million spent on a new catering facility and product development centre at Dairy Produce Packers in Coleraine.