Lidl NI ploughed £112 million into agri-food industry in the Co Armagh, Down and Mid Ulster area in one year

Following a major £2m deal with Portadown’s Irwin’s Bakery, the international firm Lidl has become the region’s fastest-growing supermarket inputting £112m into the southern region in the last financial year ending February 2022.

-

-

From freshly baked bread from Cookstown to speedy porridge oats from Tandragee, mushrooms from Armagh, fresh fruit harvested in Craigavon and coffee from Dungannon, shoppers are enjoying a real taste of home with an increasingly expansive line of authentic Northern Irish produce.

Developed with the support of the Northern Ireland Food & Drink Association, the new report highlights the retailer’s significant economic contribution to the agri-food industry and underscores its longstanding commitment to sourcing produce locally.

Representing a combined investment of £347 million across NI, 85% (or £298 million) worth of goods procured by Lidl Northern Ireland from suppliers in the region was exported globally through Lidl’s expansive store network, reaching new customer bases across Europe from Great Britain and Ireland as far as Romania, Greece, Cyprus and even to the USA.

Michael Bell, Executive Director, NI Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) said: “Our food and drink sector is NI’s largest manufacturing sector, contributing £4.9 billion in value added to the region and supporting some 113,000 jobs. It’s a huge driver of economic growth and this report by Lidl NI demonstrates just how significant its supplier relationships are not only to its ongoing success, but to supporting an entire network of local producers to grow and export.

“Alongside its established supplier network, Lidl NI is also committed to supporting SMEs and home-grown businesses to realise their potential through its industry-leading Kickstart Supplier Development Programme. Now in its fifth year, the retailer has invested more than £1 million in growing more than 30 local suppliers through the initiative.

“The platform has led many SMEs to become household names through this platform and provided ongoing support to many more to grow their potential.”

In 2021, Lidl NI confirmed a new and expanded contract with Irwin’s Bakery after a successful 20-year partnership deal worth more than £50 million. Under the new supply deal, worth more than £2 million annually, the bakery supplies customer favourites including Nutty Krust batch bread, Irwin’s Veda malted loaf and Jammy Joeys buns to 216 Lidl stores across the island of Ireland.

The supplier contract with Lidl NI has facilitated double digit growth for the company across a variety of bakery sectors and supported Irwin’s growth strategy, enabling the bakery to increase production, create more jobs locally and innovate and expand its product range.

Conor Boyle, Regional Managing Director Lidl NI said: “We’re focused on investing in our local supplier network and bringing great quality, locally sourced fresh produce at great value to nearly half a million weekly shoppers across the region.

"Our established “Big on Quality, Lidl on Price” brand proposition continues to resonate with shoppers and particularly during these challenging times, we’re seeing even more customers make the switch to Lidl NI. A huge part of our success is down to our supplier partnerships and being able to offer customers unrivalled choice, quality and value.