Spoon Street opens at Rushmere centre and serves up 10 new jobs

It also serves up 10 new jobs for the area. The store had been due to open today (Friday), and earlier publicity had promised this but due to some last minute changes the opening was put back till after the weekend. Created by young entrepreneurs Harry and Katie Wang who opened their first store in east Belfast in 2014, Spoon Street has since brought its US-inspired yogurt concept and eco-friendly credentials to three other Belfast locations including Anne Street, Lisburn Road, Lisburn Leisureplex and Ballyhackamore. The Spoon Street brand was acquired by the Newry-based owner of restaurant chain Eddie Rockets, Justin Ward, in 2019. Rushmere Shopping Centre marks Spoon Street’s first location outside Belfast. The Spoon Street concept has proved a big hit with customers who get to pour their own ‘froyo’ from a multi award-winning selection of 16 flavours and 45 toppings using biodegradable spoons, and all tastes are catered for with gluten-free, sugar-free, nut-free, vegan-friendly, vegetarian, low-fat and fat-free options all on offer. Frozen yogurt and sorbets have grown dramatically in popularity as a healthier alternative to ice-cream in recent years. READ THIS: Jardine sisters celebrate expanding Bottom DrawerSpoon Street director Justin Ward said Rushmere Shopping Centre was only the next stop in a new plan for growth. “Strategically-located in one of the region’s largest and most successful shopping centres, we’re delighted to confirm our new store will open for eat in, takeaway or for home delivery and a new team of 10 staff will be on hand to bring this brilliant foodie concept to thousands more customers outside the Belfast area.” Rushmere Shopping Centre is one of Northern Ireland’s largest retail destinations. “With four longstanding, successful outlets behind us, we’re already looking forward to growing our footprint further across the island as we look to restart growth plans paused as a result of the pandemic. Rushmere is a major milestone in this strategy and we can’t wait to reveal more details of new locations in the months ahead,” Justin Ward said. Centre manager Martin Walsh said: “Since fully reopening in May with record-breaking visit numbers, Rushmere has been keen to add to its strong mix of retail stores and big brand names with a fresh focus on hospitality and I’m thrilled that the hugely-popular Spoon Street has chosen us as part of its new expansion plans. “We’re looking forward to celebrating its fifth store opening and to creating a new army of frozen yogurt followers from near and far.” Rushmere Shopping Centre is jointly managed by leading lettings specialists Osborne King and Savills. Earlier this year, Rushmere Shopping Centre reported record daily visitor numbers for a May Bank Holiday weekend, when more than 136,000 customers made the trip. Out-of-town retail centres and parks have performed relatively strongly compared with high streets and city centres in the last year and are recovering faster than any other type of shopping destination, according to a recent Springboard analysis. READ THIS: Funeral details of Tandragee man Matthew Biggerstaff (21) releasedEditor’s message: Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. Please consider purchasing a copy of the paper. You can also support trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription of the News Letter.