The region’s fastest-growing supermarket retailer broke ground in March to relocate its existing store at the junction of Castlereagh and Montgomery Road in Belfast to a new adjacent site on Castlereagh Road. Approval for the new store was sought and granted by Belfast City Council last year.

Occupying a much larger area of 11,575 sq. meters, with an impressive 1,420 sq. metre sales floor, the new east Belfast store has been built with a focus on sustainability and style – prioritising energy efficiency with a range of environmentally-friendly features as well as a sleek, modern design and improved access as part of the entire site’s ambitious transformation plans.

The expanded store has also created further employment for the local area, with the team welcoming 10 permanent new employees to support the larger retail offering. A further 200 jobs were also supported during the build-out and development phase.

Part of a £32 million investment by Lidl Northern Ireland into developing five stores within the Greater Belfast region, the new Castlereagh store has been in planning since 2021, undergoing an extensive public and stakeholder consultation to bring local shoppers an improved customer experience, an expanded product range and modern facilities.

Lidl Northern Ireland Regional Property Director, Chris Speers, said: “Castlereagh Road continues to be an important location for us – we’ve been serving the local community here for more than 20 years and we are delighted to now welcome local shoppers a modern new store with significantly more space to shop all their favourite products. This project is part of our strategy and commitment to invest in transforming our existing range of older stores to better serve communities and to future proof our store network in line with our ambitious sustainability targets.

“The relocation has also enabled us to breathe new life into this prominent location and to refresh the entire site with new landscaping and improved access which will benefit our neighbours and the wider community.

“This has been a highly anticipated project and feedback from the community has been very encouraging as locals look forward to continuing to shop our award-winning range of high-quality food at low prices, particularly during this challenging time.

“I’m pleased that we were able to deliver this project within just six months and I’m delighted to confirm an opening date of Thursday 15 September. The team and I look forward to welcoming our new team members as well as our fantastic customers through the doors very soon.”

The new Lidl Northern Ireland Castlereagh Road store will open on Thursday 15^th September 2022 at 8am.

To celebrate the new store opening, local pupils from Knockbreda Primary School and St. Bernard’s Primary School have been invited to officially cut the ribbon and receive a cheque donation, whilst Tiny Life has also been selected to benefit from a charity donation as part of Lidl Northern Ireland’s commitment to positively contribute to its local community.

Caption: Chris Speers, Property Executive, Lidl Northern Ireland and Gerard Mc Cleland, CEO of Ganson UK.

The post New Lidl Northern Ireland store set to open in east Belfast first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The supermarket has been extended by over 40%, undergone substantial renovations and now stands at over 7,000 sq. ft., resulting in one of the biggest EUROSPAR supermarkets in Northern Ireland, packed with fresh, local products, exciting food-to-go offers and a wide range of services for visitors and locals.

Store Manager, Richard Parker, who has been with Henderson Retail for 16 years, explains that the supermarket was designed with the local shopper in mind, meaning it provides even more value for money and a huge range of fresh and local food and services on shoppers’ doorsteps.

“We are bringing a full supermarket experience into the heart of the town, which means a huge amount of value driving initiatives, including Tesco Price Match on over 1,000 lines. Plus, we have local services such as the Post Office and our in-store award-winning local butcher, Etherson’s and Barista Bar coffee and treats, all under one roof,” he said.

Shoppers will also be impressed with the huge range of pre-made and made to order hot meals and tasty snacks at the new Delish deli, meeting local demand and serving the large day-visit trade into the area, and those passing through.

The Delish Hot Bar offers traditional breakfast and lunch items such as a breakfast fry, tasty snacks and pastries, chicken curry and lasagne, alongside the Delish Fresh Bar, where shoppers can build their own sandwiches and salads or choose from the pick and mix Chicken Bar.  

Richard said: “Our value extends into our food-to-go offering, and as a store with a footfall that extends to passing trade as well as regular local shoppers, it is important we offer a range of Delish Value Deals that are also big on taste.”

This store is also expected to be popular with the thousands of visitors who are welcomed to Portrush through the warmer seasons, offering award-winning Italian frozen yogurt, sorbet and gelato, from ‘fwip’. The innovative self-serve ice cream station is big on flavour, served in under 10 seconds and is sure to be a hit with locals and holidaymakers alike.  
 
EUROSPAR Hillcrest is in the heart of Portrush’s surrounding neighbourhood and has already made a positive impact, creating at least 10 new job opportunities, raising over £200 for Benvardin Dogs Home, sponsoring Portrush Football Club and showing ongoing support to the RNLI. The store also has a defibrillator installed outside the store, one of 26 devices at SPAR, EUROSPAR and ViVO branded stores across the Causeway Coast and Glens area. 
 
EUROSPAR Hillcrest is open 6am – 12am, 7 days a week with a hugely improved shopping experience, including extra-wide aisles, designed with the consumer’s convenience in mind, which includes a free ATM, 6-pump filling station, significantly enhanced grocery and fresh food ranges, and a new 83-space car park.  

Mark McCammond, Retail Director at Henderson Group said: “Our stores across Portrush, Coleraine and Ballycastle have experienced significant upgrades to provide local shoppers with even more convenience, choice and value and to provide unique services and experiences to those who are visiting the area for something new. 

“EUROSPAR Hillcrest is a local supermarket in a close-knit neighbourhood, ensuring everyday essentials and a wide range of fresh foods and groceries are on shoppers’ doorsteps at value prices. With over 75% of our fresh foods sourced from our roster of local suppliers and producers, including our own brand SPAR Enjoy Local, The Greengrocer’s, The CHEF and The Kitchen ranges. It’s fantastic to see this store officially reopen for our neighbours and holidaymakers to experience.” 

Picture Caption: (L to R) Richard Parker Store Manager, Hazel Lyons Post Office Manager, Alister Mcelhinney Team Leader and Ricky McDonnell Assistant Store Manager, opening the new Portrush store.

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The new opening is part of the company’s expansion and transformation programme and follows a series of store openings across Northern Ireland.

A number of the positions have been filled by some of those who lost their jobs when other businesses closed in Omagh recently.

Poundland’s new 7,600 sq ft store is located at the former Menary’s shop at the Showgrounds Retail Park.

The new Omagh store includes one of the largest PEP&CO fashion and home departments in Northern Ireland covering well over half the sales floor.

The post Poundland celebrate second store opening in Omagh, creating 25 new jobs first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Tesco’s new tactic to super shopper savings comes in the form of their new store Jack’s, named after founder Jack Cohen.

The new approach from the retailing giant, celebrating 100 years in business, has been teased for some time now and many have wondered if this is a viable approach.

Discount retailers such as Lidl, and Aldi on mainland UK, have increasingly gained market share, around 13.1 percent, over the last few years, and with this gained brand loyalty.

Whilst Tesco still sails out in front with the majority of overall market share, just over 30 percent, it has been steadily decreasing over the years as consumers change shopping habits.

Tesco said it is aiming to open 10-15 Jack’s stores next year. While a typical large Tesco supermarket sells more than 25,000 products, Jack’s will stock only 2,600.

The new chain is a bid to win back shoppers lost to the discounters, who now account for more than £13 out of every £100 spent in UK supermarkets – twice as much as five years ago.

Five of the new shops will be created by repurposing properties already owned by Tesco, including some Tesco Metro stores. None of these properties have been said to be in Northern Ireland, so, for now, this will be a mainland UK project.

Dave Lewis, Tesco group chief executive has been optimistic about the launch and the newly implemented low-cost business model, stating it will be the “cheapest in town.”

“It’s fitting that today, we mark the beginning of Tesco’s celebration of 100 years of great value by launching a new brand, and stores bearing his name: Jack’s,” said Dave.

Dave went on to explain that eight out of ten products would be grown, reared or made in Britain, showcasing the consumer want for local.

The newest success?

Whilst many have been quick to look at the store as a way to bolster Tesco market share, little has been said of the negative impact this could have on the more exclusive stores.

If Jack’s becomes successful and changes Tesco consumer habits, why would they ever swap back to Tesco, the more expensive of the two?

Whilst Tesco will offer a more extensive range of infrequently purchased products, electrical etc., shopper’s weekly basket shop could quickly switch to Jack’s.

This could see a decline in the overall usage of the normal Tesco store format, which could become damaging.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, has stated that optimism should be sceptical, due to the increasing popularity of brands like Aldi and Lidl, and the loyalty they can amass.

“There have been plenty of comparisons to Aldi and Lidl and it’s worth remembering that despite their ‘discounter’ moniker they aren’t particularly downmarket retailers,” said Fraser.

Fraser concluded that, “they [consumers] spend just £1 in every £10 there and don’t shop at the discounters as frequently as at the big four – given the Jack’s model is so similar we would expect to see shoppers behaving the same way in its stores.”

Fraser alluded to the fact that it is difficult to compete with the in-place discount retailer, a fact made clear with previous attempts.

Sainsbury’s previous attempts to compete by popularising Netto ended after only two years of trading due to rapid expansion and investment needed.

Whilst Tesco have a rather large market share and could potentially back a rapid expansion, it would appear that they have not learned from the Netto incident.

The plans for 60 stores in the next six months, or so, isn’t a huge number compared to the estimated 1,300 Aldi and Lidl stores, and Tesco may struggle if they do not close the gap quickly.

What have customers said?

With the first Jack’s opening in Cambridgeshire, it had mixed sentiments. Speaking to the Guardian online, several customers were cynical of the new store, with some coming for the free Jack’s shopping bag, and leaving straight away.

Some shoppers said they felt the shop felt out-of-date, whilst another reportedly said, “We thought about going down there, but Aldi’s are our store and I think will be sticking with it. It’s done us well over the years and I see no reason to abandon it now.”

Others have been positive about the store and the long queues were testament to this; however, it would appear due to the slow expansion plans, Northern Ireland will not be seeing any form of change in Tesco store format in the near future.

The post Jack’s customers jumping for joy? first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Whilst having already conquered the UK bakery market, the high street bakery brand has started to progress nicely in NI, with a multitude of outlets appearing over the last few years.

Location and opening date have not yet been released, but like many of the other outlets that have opened across the country, there is a high probability of popularity and added value of economic uplift for the area.

With recent financials being released it is no surprise the amount of interest from investors for the retailer within Northern Ireland. Total sales for the 26 weeks ending June 30 were up 5.2 percent to £476m, representing like-for-like sales growth of 1.5%.

The unit was given full planning permission last year, but Greggs’ involvement has just been confirmed. The original report from the applicants, CCP IV Omagh, suggested that between 20 and 25 jobs could be created.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph a spokesperson for Greggs said: “We can confirm we are interested in bringing Greggs to Omagh and we will clarify shop location and opening date as soon as possible.

We are continuing to look for further opportunities to open more shops in Northern Ireland this year and will share additional information as soon as we are in a position to do so.”

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