Calls for Aldi to open in Lisburn

Fiona Norris from Coleraine, has so far collected 87 names on a petition which she hopes will persuade the supermarket chain to open a store in one of the main towns like Lisburn, Ballymena or Bangor.

And she is hoping people from Lisburn will back her campiagn.

Recently, Aldi denied rumours that they were setting up their first store in Lisburn.

There were reports that Aldi was recruiting staff for a store in the city after job adverts on social media suggested Aldi were in the process of seeking a manager for a supermarket in Lisburn.

However, a spokesperson for the chain said that they would not be making any comment about plans to come to Northern Ireland,

Fiona has spoken of her frustration.

“I have to travel as far as Letterkenny to get an Aldi store,” she said.

“I have contacted Aldi time after time asking them why they will not come and I never get a good enough answer. I just do not know why they cannot come.

“There are Lidl and Tesco stores, Waitrose is even supposed to be coming but no Aldi. I think that if an Aldi store came to Northern Ireland it would be great.

“It is interesting that there are these job advertisements but when they are contacted they say that they have no plans to come to Northern Ireland.

“They have also advertised for a shop assistant in Enniskillen, Bangor, Belfast and Ballymena but when they are contacted they say that they have no plans to come here.”

She continued, “Aldi is everywhere else in the UK - except Northern Ireland.

“I don’t know why that is and I’ve never managed to get a straight answer out of them.

“In fact, they are opening new stores all the time - but not one in Ulster. The Irish Republic have them - but, as the nearest store is over 100 miles away.

“I know we have branches of LIDL - but then so has everyone else.

“The cost of living always has been higher in Northern Ireland, and, as a result of the latest budget, anyone earning £24,000 will find themselves around £600 worse off when the hikes in fuel, food, energy are taken into account.

“So it continues to get worse - so if there is one country in need of another budget supermarket it’s here.”