Higher costs and less availability will hit the region hardest unless extra measures are taken mitigating the effects of Brexit, the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC), which represents larger businesses, said.

Latest: Former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said the backstop needs to "come out" of Thresea May's Withdrawal Agreement with the EU in order to allow Brexit.

Footfall in Northern Ireland shops has improved slightly, despite “stubbornly” high numbers of vacancies, a new report has found.

The number of shoppers in Northern Ireland last month was 3% higher than a year ago, retailers have said.

Shopper numbers in the North were 6% lower last month than a year ago, it was revealed.