Lidl Plans Three New Stores In Bangor, Craigavon And Dungannon

Lidl Northern Ireland has launched plans for three new stores in Bangor, Craigavon and Dungannon, as part of their plans to enhance and expand its growing store network across the region.

Northern Ireland's fastest-growing grocery retailer confirmed it has submitted planning applications to position new stores at Rushmere Shopping Centre in Craigavon and adjacent to Bloomfield Shopping Centre in Bangor. Both will replace longstanding nearby outlets with all-new, brighter, larger, and modern retail outlets with sustainability built in.

It has also submitted a planning application for a new supermarket and café at Anne Street in Dungannon, replacing its Scotch Street store, on a prominent site which has been derelict for almost four decades.

Combined, the three store builds represent a significant multi-million-pound investment and will support hundreds of jobs during development and construction phases in addition to more than 50 more retail jobs created when all three outlets open. Existing stores in all three areas already employ over 60 employees, all of whom will relocate on completion.

Subject to planning permission by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Ards and North Down Borough Council and Mid Ulster Council, the stores will open next year.

The proposed new store at the south end of Rushmere Shopping Centre, replacing its existing outlet at Northway, will see the creation of a 2,470 sq. m unit at the former petrol station site, including an expansive 1,650 sq. m sales floor with almost 20 new jobs added to an existing team of over 20 employees.

In Bangor, a new supermarket is proposed at Skipperstone Road to the west of Bloomfield Road where its existing store is currently located. The site will see the new development of a brand new, state-of-the-art retail outlet complete with landscaping and new road access, providing an all-new and enhanced shopping experience for thousands of local weekly shoppers. It will create 20 new jobs, doubling its local workforce.

A new state-of-the-art store and café in Dungannon will also double its local team to 40 employees.

Lidl Northern Ireland Property Director, Chris Speers, said: "Welcoming more than a half a million shoppers through our store network each week, we continue to prioritise delivering the best shopping experience for our customers. Alongside our ambitious expansion plans in the region, we are focused on upgrading our existing store network to bring older stores in line with our industry leading, sustainably focused 'Concept' design.

"I am delighted to confirm new plans to relocate and upgrade our stores in Bangor, Craigavon and Dungannon, where we have served local communities for more than two decades. These proposed new stores are important for us, and we hope that new and existing customers are as excited as we are by our plans for significant local investment in our local communities."

Celebrating 25 years of growth and expansion in the region later this year, Lidl Northern Ireland is investing millions of pounds in the development and growth of its 41-strong store network.

Lidl Northern Ireland was also recently granted planning for a new 'Concept' store in Coleraine on the site of its existing Riverside Retail Park outlet and work on a new supermarket retail unit at Carryduff Shopping Centre, anchoring a wider redevelopment, is already progressing.

Plans to replace its first store in Northern Ireland, in Cookstown, with a new £7 million retail unit, which will be home to an expanded team of 40, were submitted late last year and welcomed by local councillors at Mid Ulster District Council.

It also opened a flagship new £8 million store at Strabane Retail Park in December.

Ivan Ryan, Regional Managing Director at Lidl Northern Ireland, said: "As we mark our landmark 25th year in Northern Ireland, we are firmly focused on expanding and enhancing our growing local store network. Since 2018, Lidl Northern Ireland has consistently been the region's fastest-growing supermarket, so it's clear to see that our established 'Big on Quality, Lidl on Price' proposition is resonating with even more shoppers."

Earlier this year, Lidl Northern Ireland, confirmed a price drop for more than 500 products within its everyday range, further underscoring the retailer's commitment to driving real value and to supporting local shoppers mitigating against cost-of-living impacts.

"Committed to providing the best quality produce at the best value, our goal is to make it easier for new and existing customers to access great local value and choice wherever they are. Our plans for upgraded new stores in Bangor, Craigavon and Dungannon will better meet the needs of a growing customer base in these areas and cements our long-term commitment to serving and investing in local communities."

Public consultations on all three new stores get under way in the next few weeks in existing retail outlets. The first is in Dungannon on Tuesday 13 February from 4.30pm to 6.30pm, in Bangor on Tuesday 19 March at 4.30pm to 6.30pm and in Craigavon on Monday 8 April from 3pm to 6pm.

Lidl Northern Ireland, which employs more than 1,300 people across its 41-strong store network and regional distribution centre in Nutts Corner, is the region's fastest-growing retail grocer, according to retail information company Kantar. It now holds a 9.1 percent market share in the region after seeing the strongest growth among all retailers, up 21.3 percent year-on-year.