LUXURY Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer has opened its first stand-alone boutique in Ireland in Belfast as part of the wider £2.5 million investment of the 140-year old Queen’s Arcade, the city’s last surviving Victorian shopping arcade.
The opening has created four new jobs and will offer customers access to exclusive TAG Heuer timepieces only available in its boutiques.
Suzanne Lunn, marketing director at Lunn’s the Jewellers, said: “We are delighted and especially proud to locate TAG Heuer in Queen’s Arcade, where my grandfather John Lunn established our business nearly 70 years ago.
“We're confident in the future of retail in Belfast city centre and are excited that we can now offer a totally immersive TAG Heuer experience. The addition of this boutique will complement our ambitions to enhance Queen’s Arcade as an iconic shopping destination in Ireland.”
Rob Diver, TAG Heuer's Europe managing director, added: “We are very proud to be partnering with Lunn’s and believe this opening will take our brand to new heights in Northern Ireland and allow clients to experience our exceptional timepieces and strong brand DNA in a 360-degree environment. It is great to see the redevelopment of this iconic part of Belfast and to be one of the key brands integral in this new venture.”
Among the exclusive watches on sale in the new TAG Heuer boutique is a 50th anniversary edition of the brand’s famous Monaco timepiece (only 169 are available worldwide).
Inspired by the Monaco Grand Prix and immortalised by Steve McQueen who wore it in the 1971 film ‘Le Mans’, the watch was the world’s first water-resistant square timepiece.
TAG Heuer timepieces are based on three pillars of sport, lifestyle and heritage, and the brand's partnerships and ambassadors include the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Formula One team, the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Formula E Championship, the biggest football leagues in Europe, the Americas and Asia, Manchester United, trendsetter Cara Delevingne, and actors Chris Hemsworth and Patrick Dempsey.
