Marcon completes 16-week fit-out of Abercrombie & Fitch's first Northern Ireland store

Marcon Fit-Out has completed the full interior fit-out of Abercrombie & Fitch's first standalone store in Northern Ireland, at Victoria Square in Belfast, over a 16-week programme.

The Antrim-based contractor said it worked with Hyphen Architects and the client team to convert an existing two-level retail unit to the retailer's latest global store concept.

Ross Mullan, Contract Manager at Marcon, said: "Delivering a project of this scale within a live shopping centre environment required exceptional planning, coordination and attention to detail."

The scope

Marcon said the works covered demolition, new partitions, floor and wall finishes, new fixtures and fittings, internal graphics and signage, together with full mechanical and electrical services, HVAC and plumbing installations.

The contractor also carried out all shopfront works, refinishing the existing storefront and installing new illuminated signage to the retailer's brand standards.

Specialist joinery and millwork included bespoke stairwell panelling, feature slat walls, cash desk wraps and retail display elements. Marcon runs its own manufacturing space, grown from a joinery workshop, next to its Antrim headquarters, according to the company's 20-year anniversary page.

Because the unit sits among trading shops in the live centre, Marcon said it prepared logistics surveys and structured delivery and access plans to limit disruption to neighbouring retailers, centre operations and visitors during the works.

A growing account

The Belfast store follows multiple Hollister stores Marcon has completed for the same retailer, the company said. Mullan said Marcon was "delighted to continue building our relationship with Abercrombie & Fitch through a number of ongoing projects."

The account is a recent one. In July 2025 Marcon announced the completion of a Hollister store at Silverburn Shopping Centre in Glasgow, a 5,000 sq ft ground-floor unit delivered over 15 weeks. At the time Mullan, then described as Marcon Project Manager, said Hollister Silverburn was the company's first project for the brand. Marcon has not named the other Hollister stores it has since completed.

Hyphen, the architect on the Belfast job, has a longer history with the retailer. The practice said on its own portfolio page that its teams across Europe have worked with Abercrombie & Fitch and its Gilly Hicks and Hollister brands since 2005 on more than 50 retail and workspace projects. The relationship began as local architect for the retailer's first European flagship in Burlington Gardens, London, and has since taken in stores and offices in more than 20 cities, from Dublin and Edinburgh to Munich and Milan, Hyphen said.

The contractor

Marcon Fit-Out Ltd is registered at Companies House under number NI051006, with its registered office at A2 Fergusons Way, Kilbegs Road, Antrim. The company said it was founded by Mark O'Connor and Mark McElroy in 2004 and now has more than 75 employees.

Marcon works across the retail, hospitality, heritage and leisure sectors and has completed more than 600 projects for McDonald's, according to its anniversary page. It opened a second office in Leeds in 2021 to support its growing workload in England and Scotland.

Marcon has not said which of its ongoing Abercrombie & Fitch projects will complete next.