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Victoria's Secret is looking for opportunities to open a store in Belfast.

A report on the evolution of Belfast's retail landscape said the American lingerie chain was one of the brands currently seeking opportunities in the city.

It also said burger joint Byron and Italian Carluccio's were likely to enter the Belfast market in 2017.

On Wednesday, commercial property agency, Lambert Smith Hampton, published 'Belfast: An Evolution of the Retail Landscape' in which it outlines some of the future drivers that could accelerate Belfast’s development as a leading UK retail destination.

Within the report, which looks at the progress in the city since the days of The Good Friday Agreement, it stated that Victoria's Secret was one of the brands currently seeking opportunities in the city.

It comes as the brand is set to open its first Irish store on Grafton Street in Dublin this month.

There is already a small Victoria's Secret concession store in Dublin Airport, specialising in the brand's cosmetic range - but this will be the first store in Ireland expected to offer the full range of Victoria's Secret products.

In the report it states: "The past 18 months have witnessed a significant progression of the retail market in Belfast City Centre but Northern Ireland is still virgin territory for many brands already well established in the rest of the UK.

"The influx of new brands such as Stradivarius, Sostrene Grene, Skechers and KIKO Milano has refreshed the retail offer and we expect this to continue over the next 12 months with a number of new national and international brands currently seeking opportunities, such as Smiggle, Lovisa and Victoria's Secret."

The report said Belfast’s retail offering had made huge progress since the days of The Good Friday Agreement but further political buy in would be needed if the city wants to become one of the UK’s top 10 retail destinations.

Claire Cole, Research Analyst at Lambert Smith Hampton said: “It is clear that retail in Belfast has wholly improved. It is easy to forget that at the time of the Good Friday Agreement there were very few international brands in Northern Ireland – the likes of Tesco and Sainsbury’s were new arrivals - and key developments such as Victoria Square did not yet exist.

“We’re not at the point where we’re competing with Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham. Belfast is much smaller and does not yet have the same number and quality of shops, restaurants and leisure attractions. But if there’s a joined up focus on continually improving Belfast’s retail and leisure offer then we are confident that Belfast can make up ground on those larger centres.”

Dr Cole added: “Through the course of the last 20 years the retail sector has been incredibly resilient, partly because costs were low and partly because Belfast has become a more attractive destination for tourism and investment. As we look to the future much still needs to be done, but if social, economic and political factors continue to work in the sector’s favour then there’s every reason to believe retail in Belfast can go from strength to strength.”

Belfast was ranked 15 out of 20 in a recent Javelin report of top UK shopping destinations. Lambert Smith Hampton said that, given the size of Belfast, it may not be realistic to think the city will rank in the top 10 in the short term. But, following the opening of Ulster University’s Belfast Campus and the expected increase in the number of people living in the city centre over the next decade, the report says there is an opportunity to drive Belfast up the rankings.