US doughnut chain Krispy Kreme will open its first Northern Ireland outlet at the Victoria Square shopping complex Belfast.
New plans lodged with Belfast City Council confirm the Nasdaq-listed food group has secured a corner unit between Claire’s Accessories and The Kitchen bar and restaurant.
It’s understood the unit was previously occupied by jewellery retailer Swarovski.
An application from Vincent Healy, head of acquisitions at Krispy Kreme in the UK and Ireland, was lodged with Belfast City Council in recent days.
The American doughnut and coffee chain confirmed its intention to expand into Northern Ireland in January 2023.
Best known for its line of glazed doughnuts, Krispy Kreme has opened dozens of shops across the UK since 2003.
It caused controversy in September 2018 when it staged a PR stunt outside Belfast City Hall, offering free doughnuts to promote its first store on the island of Ireland.
Council officials were forced to intervene when dozens of people queued for the free food, linked to the new Dublin store in Blanchardstown.
Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Krispy Kreme originally went public in 2000, before being taken back into private ownership by the German conglomerate JAC Holding Company in 2016.
The European food group, which also owns Pret a Manger, took the doughnut business public again in July 2021.
The move to the former jewellery unit at Victoria Square is the latest example of the wider trend of food and leisure operators replacing retail space in shopping centres.
Fast-growing luxury hot chocolate brand Knoops has also announced plans to open in Victoria Square.
Knoops specialise in a range of barista-prepared hot chocolate, chocolate milkshakes and iced chocolate from a menu of over 20 different strengths and styles of chocolate.