Kennedy Centre, Belfast facts for kids
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| Location | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
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| Coordinates | 54°34′51″N 5°58′44″W / 54.5809°N 5.9788°W |
| Address | 564 - 568 Falls Road, Belfast, BT11 9AE |
| Opening date | 1981 - Curleys 1991 - Kennedy Centre |
| Developer | HJS developments |
| Management | John Jones |
| Owner | Hugh Kennedy and Family |
| Architect | HPA |
| No. of stores and services | 48 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 1 |
| Total retail floor area | 300,000 sq ft (28,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 3 |
| Parking | 800 |
The Kennedy Centre is a popular shopping and fun place in West Belfast, Northern Ireland. It's a big building with lots of shops, restaurants, and entertainment. The main store here is a huge Sainsbury's supermarket. It's actually the biggest Sainsbury's in Northern Ireland! The centre was updated in 2009 to make it even better for visitors.
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Shops and Places to Eat
The Kennedy Centre has about 49 different shops for you to explore. You can find many well-known stores here.
Some of the shops include:
- Iceland (for groceries)
- Boots UK (for health and beauty products)
- Peacocks (for clothes)
- O'Neills (for sports gear)
- DV8 (for fashion)
- JD Sports (for athletic wear)
- CEX (for electronics and games)
- Poundland (for budget-friendly items)
You can also grab a bite to eat at places like Costa Coffee or Greggs. There's even a place called 26 West Bar & Grill.
Food Court and Fun Areas
After some big changes, the Kennedy Centre now has a special food court upstairs. This is a great spot to eat different kinds of food. It's right across from the cinema.
For younger kids, there's a soft play area called Funky Monkeys. It also has a cafe for parents to relax. You can find this on the first floor. A Family Entertainment Centre also opened on the first floor, offering more fun activities.
The Andersonstown Jobs and Benefits office is also located inside the centre. In 2022, a store called Home Bargains moved out of the main building. It now has its own large building right next to the Kennedy Centre.
Cinema Fun
If you love movies, the Kennedy Centre has an 8-screen digital cinema. It's run by a company called Omniplex. You can catch the latest films here on the first floor.
Sainsbury's Supermarket
In 2009, Sainsbury's became the main big store, also known as the "anchor tenant," at the Kennedy Centre. It took the place of Curleys Supermarket, which had been there since 1981.
When Sainsbury's moved in, the shopping centre's supermarket area was completely redone. The new Sainsbury's store is very large, about 97,000 square feet. This makes it the biggest Sainsbury's supermarket in Northern Ireland. There is also a Sainsbury's petrol station on the site where you can fill up your car. In October 2017, Sainsbury's also opened an Argos shop inside its West Belfast store.
Centre History
The land where the Kennedy Centre stands used to be a factory that made Lucozade drinks. In 1981, a man named Hugh Kennedy bought the site. He built and opened his own supermarket there, which he called Curleys. Later, in 1991, Hugh Kennedy redeveloped the entire area. He then renamed it the "Kennedy Centre," which is what we know it as today.
