It is very much a case of North meets South at The Quays Shopping Centre in Newry, where agents are reporting 95 per cent of its retail space let or under offer prior to its "soft opening" over the coming months, writes Jim Cusack.

The successful letting of the 250,000 sq ft centre is remarkable in that The Quays is Newry's second large shopping centre - it is directly opposite the 12-year-old Buttercrane Centre, which is also fully let - and that the town has a population of only 25,000.

However, the joint agents, Hamilton Osborne King, Barron Chartered Surveyors and Tushingham Moore of Manchester, point out that the new shopping centre is benefiting from a large and prospering Border hinterland with a large, youthful population that has so far not had easy access to the type of prime retailer being attracted to The Quays.

The agents have confirmed Next is taking a key 7,000 sq ft unit, incorporating 4,200 sq ft retail space on the ground floor at the hub of the centre and storage on the mezzanine level. Next has been attracted from the Buttercrane Centre, where it had a restricted unit of about 1,300 sq ft. The Next unit in The Quays will be the fashion chain's largest store in Ireland.

Roches Stores is fitting out its 53,000 sq ft anchor store, which will be the group's first outlet in the North. The food anchor, Sainsburys, has been trading successfully in its 60,000 sq ft unit since October last.

Joint agent, Tony Barron, of Barron Chartered Surveyors, also points out that The Quays is the first location where retailers from Ireland's two prime shopping streets - Grafton Street and Donegall Place - meet.

Retailers Angel, Vero Moda and Japan, which hold prime locations in Dublin, will be trading alongside outlets such as Index and HMV, which hold key sites in Belfast.

The twin anchors of Roches and Sainsburys are also symbolic of the North-meets-South nature of The Quays.

Rental levels in the centre are understood to be around £65 sterling per sq ft for Zone A, with the centre having an investment value of around £50 million.

The Dublin-based Omniplex chain is also taking 50,000 sq ft for a 2,000 seat, nine-screen complex on the first floor above the 10,000 sq ft food court.

"The success of the centre is a manifestation of the peace process. This the first time that retailers from Grafton Street and Donegall Place have come together. Half the retailers are from the North and half from the South. It is also the first time such quality retail outlets have come to the Border area," says Mr Barron.

"It is a natural progression for Southern traders who are coming up and showing strong interest in the North. The Quays is the first step across the Border for many of them."

According to Mr Barron, during the three-year period from site acquisition to completion, the developer, Parker Green Ltd, which is headed by a local businessman, Gerard O'Hare, carried out extensive consultation with Newry and Mourne Chambers of Trade and Commerce and the local chamber of trade.

The completion of the centre, says Mr Barron, has given the town a "shamrock" shaped shopping axis involving the traditional town centre shopping in Hill Street, the Buttercrane Centre and now The Quays.

He pointed out that the Quays has added a new dimension of upmarket retailers to complement rather than draw trade away from the town centre and Buttercrane, which retain quite separate retailing identities. The success of the 270,000 sq ft Buttercrane Centre was underlined by the successful letting to five Burton group fashion outlets of its recently completed 30,000 sq ft extension.

The Quays will have the effect of drawing in trade from a hinterland stretching down into Co Louth rather than drawing from the rest of the retail stock in Newry, said Mr Barron.

The addition of The Quays to Newry is likely to further increase the town's draw on shoppers in counties Louth and Monaghan and, despite the disparity with sterling, is likely to have a more adverse impact on Dundalk and Monaghan retailers.

When the centre officially opens in late summer, it will have staff greeting shoppers, an information centre, creche and trolley parking. There will be 1,300 surface parking spaces on its 17-acre site alongside the old Coal Quays of the Newry Shipping Canal. The quayside site, which previously held huge barrel-roofed coal sheds, is reflected in the curved roofs. The quay side of the centre will be extensively glazed to maximise views over the canal.