A DECADES-long supply deal between Irwin’s Bakery and Lidl Northern Ireland, already worth more than £50 million, has been renewed and expanded.
The Portadown bakery, established in 1912 and employing more than 450 staff, has been a supplier to Lidl since it opened its first store in Cookstown in 1999.
Under the new supply deal, worth £2.7 million a year, Irwin's will continue to supply customer favourites including Nutty Krust batch bread, its Veda malted loaf and Jammy Joeys buns to 202 Lidl stores across the island of Ireland.
With a focus on innovation, Irwin’s has also introduced an expanded new product range to Lidl NI this year including traditional buttermilk soda bread and a low-calorie wholemeal bread at only 59 calories a slice.
Ben Woods, supply chain executive at Lidl NI, said: “We're proud of our long-standing partnership with Irwin’s, a brand synonymous with Northern Ireland. It was integral in supporting our growth over two decades ago. Since then, we’ve worked strategically together to advance our business growth for the benefit of customers and staff.
“Since 1999, our partnership with Irwin’s has delivered more than £50 million of products through our store network across the island and we’re hungry for more.
“This renewed supply deal will see a range of innovative new products introduced alongside family favourites and cements our commitment to investing in home-grown producers.
Michael Murphy, chief executive of Irwin’s Bakery, said: “We're thrilled to count Lidl as one of our major customers and to have supported its own success over 20 years.
“During this time we have enjoyed double digit growth across a variety of bakery sectors and our supply deal with Lidl continues to grow year-on-year. Not only has this supply contract supported our growth strategy, but it has also enabled us to increase production, create more jobs locally and expand our range of products.”
The supply deal is the latest move by Lidl in its ongoing support and commitment to local food suppliers (a recent economic impact report revealed that the retailer spends at least £290 million annually with suppliers across the north while also supporting 3,500 jobs).
