LIDL has said its plans to open five modern supermarkets in Belfast over the next two years will represent an investment of £32 million, creating 100 new permanent jobs.
The five stores, include new outlets on the Boucher Road in south Belfast, Hillview Retail Park in the north of the city, and at Holywood Exchange retail park close to the north’s only Ikea store.
Two existing stores on the Castlereagh Road and Shore Road, will be replaced. They are all expected to be open by the end of 2022.
All five projects, which have been previously reported, will be built around the new 22,600 sq ft ‘concept’ model developed by Lidl.
The supermarket chain said it will support up to 1,000 jobs through the development and build phases.
The Holywood Exchange store, which will open on Thursday, is a departure from Lidl’s typical model in the north.
Instead of a standalone build, the German retailer has installed its concept store model in a unit previously occupied by Wrights Sofa Land.
It will bring Lidl’s store count in Northern Ireland to 40. The retailer now employs around 1,000 people in the north, including 200 based at its Nutts Corner distribution centre.
Lidl is fast approaching its target of 50 stores in the north. A number of other new and replacement supermarket are also in the works, including in Dundonald, where the retailer is to experiment with an on-site pub, its first on the island.
Lidl’s director of property and construction on the island, Alan Barry said: “With more than 20 years of growth behind us, we are delighted to renew our commitment for growth into a new decade with a significant additional investment and new jobs created.
“Confirmation of our new store plans is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our colleagues and our high-quality, low-price proposition which has resonated so well and even more so in these challenging times," he said.
"I’m delighted that by adding new stores at Boucher Road, Holywood Exchange and at Hillview Retail Park, and by expanding our footprint, we will be serving thousands of people in new communities in and around the city with the highest quality products at the best prices on the market.”
Last year Lidl released a report by Oxford Economics putting its annual contribution to the local economy at around £180million, which is said indirectly sustains around 3,500 jobs.
The company buys around £300m worth of goods from Northern Ireland annually, much of which is exported to its thousands of stores throughout Europe.
