SHOPPERS in Belfast were able to take a direct route through the city centre for the first time in three months yesterday with the opening of a new temporary walkway.
The walkway, which has been constructed in the aftermath of the Primark fire, reconnects Royal Avenue to Donegall Place.
Fast food giant McDonald's, jewellery store Argento and footwear chain Sketchers also reopened for business for the first time since the blaze on August 28 which gutted the department store and effectively cut the city in two.
And today, the Spar shop will reopen on a reduced hours basis while Primark will resume trading on Saturday at Commonwealth House in Castle Street.
The new Primark store will offer four floors of fashion and accessories with a number of activities planned for its official opening.
Meanwhile, the Zara, Tesco Metro and British Heart Foundation stores remain closed while work continues to secure the former Primark site at Bank Buildings.
The walkway has been welcomed by Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts who described it as a "welcome development for city centre traders and shoppers”.
He said: “While the tunnel is not a perfect solution it does allow improved access for shoppers and for the opening of most of the businesses within the cordon.
“Businesses in Belfast city centre have suffered significantly due to the Primark fire but we are confident things will improve due to the opening of the walkway and the excellent retail and hospitality on offer this Christmas.
"Longer term we need to see a wider rejuvenation plan for Belfast city centre which sets out a broader vision of a 21st century city centre.”
Rajesh Rana, president of Belfast Chamber of Trade & Commerce, said the developments marked a positive start to December for businesses.
He said a number of new stores had opened in the city including Irish department store Guineys which is due to open its first Northern Ireland store this week in the former BHS building.
Peter Boyle, owner of Argento Contemporary Jewellery, said he was excited to reopened his flagship store.
"We hope to see three weeks of strong trading as we are in the midst of the usually busy festive period," he said.
Lord Mayor, Councillor Deirdre Hargey also joined retailers to launch the new Your Belfast Rewards app, which offers hundreds of prizes to shoppers and visitors.
The app has been developed by Belfast City Council, as part of the #YourBelfast Christmas campaign, with 200 businesses in the city centre promoting offers and events within their business.
It will feature daily and weekly competitions for people to win hundreds of pounds worth of vouchers to spend in the city centre as well as tickets to concerts and events and one-off offers for entry into the city centre amusements and attractions.
