Lidl NI procures £150m of goods and services from suppliers in Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon area
A new report has revealed that Lidl Northern Ireland procured more than £150 million from suppliers and business partners across the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area during the last financial year.
Of this, more than £3 million worth of services were procured from 15 local business partners within the area, whilst more than £147 million worth of goods were procured from 20 local agri food producers, for sale across Lidl Northern Ireland’s network of 44 stores throughout the region.
The retailer’s latest Supplier and Business Partner Impact Report also details that £413 million worth of Northern Ireland produce was exported to Lidl stores across the globe during the 2024-25 financial year, ending February.
These goods, showcasing the best of local produce across thousands of Lidl stores internationally, including significant contracts with Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon suppliers, including Moy Park, Daily Bake and Gilfresh, which export to Lidl stores across the EU and internationally.
Overall, the report reveals that the supermarket retailer procured more than half-a-billion pounds (£557 million) from local suppliers and business partners across Northern Ireland.
The retailer procured goods from more than 90 local agri-food suppliers, with £75 million of these sold in Lidl stores across Northern Ireland, and more than 85% (£413 million) shipped outside the region to Lidl’s expansive network of stores in Great Britain, Europe and internationally.
Alongside Lidl’s established network of suppliers across the region, the retailer’s Kickstart Supplier Development Programme supports small and medium-sized local producers to boost their brand, enhance their supply and reach new customer audiences. Backed by the Northern Ireland Food & Drink Association (NIFDA), Lidl has invested more than £4 million in showcasing the innovative homegrown produce of local suppliers in its stores across the island of Ireland through Kickstart since 2018.
Gordon Cruikshanks, regional managing director, Lidl Northern Ireland said: “Every year, our Supplier and Business Partner Impact Report demonstrates our significant investment in the Northern Ireland economy - through longstanding, meaningful relationships with our growing network of more than 115 local suppliers and business partners.
"Through our operations, we’re proud to play an important role in showcasing the best homegrown, Northern Ireland produce globally, and bring high quality food and drink from our region to millions of shoppers across Europe every day.”
Robert Ryan, chief executive officer of Lidl Ireland and Lidl Northern Ireland, said: “Our longstanding relationships with local suppliers and business partners has been paramount to our sustained growth and success in Northern Ireland. With some of our suppliers working with us since we opened our doors 26 years ago in 1999, to now exporting millions of pounds worth of Northern Ireland produce across the globe, we very much see our suppliers as an extension of our own operations.
"From growing our supplier base to now more than 90 agrifood suppliers to expanding our network of stores - we have huge ambition for the region and we look forward to continuing to share this growth and success with our valued partners in the years ahead.”