Crowds flock to opening of new Lidl Belfast store

The new multi-million-pound Shore Road store has brought 11 new jobs to the local community.

The highly anticipated store opening brings Lidl Northern Ireland back to the prime retail site after nine months of construction work to facilitate the creation of a larger new supermarket with glass-fronted glazing, landscaping, more car parking and improvements to its access from Shore Road.

Customers can enjoy more space to shop an expanded product range in the dramatically transformed store.

The store was officially opened by representatives from social enterprise and development trust, the Ashton Centre and suicide prevention charity PIPS who both received cheque donations from Lidl Northern Ireland to celebrate the event.

Occupying an entire site size of 10,250 sq. metres, including a retail sales floor of 1,420 sq. metres, the new store has been built to Lidl Northern Ireland’s exacting standards and award-winning ‘concept’ design which prioritises sustainability and energy efficiency with a range of environmentally friendly features including an ISO 50001-certified Energy Management System, solar panels and 2 EV car charging stations in its 126-space car park.

The new state-of-the-art concept store represents an investment by Lidl Northern Ireland of £4 million into the local community. An extra 11 new local jobs have been added to the existing workforce of 22 to accommodate a much larger retail operation.

Shore Road store manager Ben Crawford said: “Since planning permission was granted in October last year, we’ve been working at pace to deliver a fresh new store for shoppers and also enhance the facilities and façade of the site.

“I’m delighted to finally open the doors to the new Lidl Shore Road store and welcome shoppers to enjoy an unrivalled in-store experience. We’re also pleased to welcome an additional 11 new members of staff to our existing team and grow our workforce locally.

“Lidl Northern Ireland has been a staple in the local community for nearly 20 years and Lidl’s investment into this site is yet another demonstration of how the company is committed to delivering for the local community.

“After a six-month store closure to facilitate construction work, it’s great to be fully open and to see so many shoppers out in force today to get a taste of the new Lidl Shore Road store and our extensive product range which is known for its great quality and low prices. We look forward to welcoming many more new and loyal customers through our doors over the summer and beyond.”

The Shore Road store opening marks the completion of the third store delivered as part of a wider £32 million investment promise announced in 2021 to create five new stores within the Belfast city region.

Last year, two new stores opened at Holywood Exchange and Hillview Retail Park, whilst two further stores are earmarked for completion at Castlereagh Road in east Belfast, along with the first ever Lidl store planned for south Belfast at Boucher Road, adjacent to the iconic National Football Stadium at Windsor Park.

The string of new Belfast stores is just part of the retailer’s plan to dramatically enhance its service provision across Northern Ireland, with ambitions to expand its 41-strong store network to 50 by 2030.