Work gets underway on £7 million Lidl flagship store in south Belfast
Lidl Northern Ireland has started construction work on the site of its new south Belfast flagship store.
Located in the heart of the busy Boucher Road retail area, positioned to the front of the National Football Stadium and Olympia Leisure Centre, the new store will provide local residents and businesses in the south Belfast area, as well as visitors to the bustling retail destination, with access to Lidl’s established ‘Big on Quality, Lidl on Price’ brand proposition for the first time.
Lidl Northern Ireland’s newest state-of-the-art ‘concept’ store will add an extra 40 permanent jobs to its regional 1,300-strong workforce. Up to 120 temporary jobs will also be supported during the development phase with contractors Ganson UK breaking ground to develop the 2,288 sqm retail unit.
Positioned on derelict land at Windsor Way to the left of Olympia Leisure Centre, the refurbished site will also include an adjacent 148-space customer car park, complete with EV charging stations, redeveloping land in front of Olympia’s football pitches.
Planning permission for the new store – its 10th within the Greater Belfast area – was approved by Belfast City Council last year and will bring its total Northern Ireland store count to 43 by the end of 2024, now that construction work is also under way on the new £6.5 million store that will anchor Carryduff Shopping Centre.
Around 35 permanent jobs will be created in Carryduff when the store is completed later this year – on top of 120 construction jobs over the next six months.
The announcement marks a new drive for Lidl Northern Ireland in delivering on its ambitious plans to open 50 stores across the region by the end of the decade, whilst also investing in upgrading its existing store network.
Earlier this month, Lidl Northern Ireland announced it has submitted planning applications to position new stores at Rushmere Shopping Centre in Craigavon and adjacent to Bloomfield Shopping Centre in Bangor. Both will replace longstanding nearby outlets with all-new, brighter, larger and modern retail outlets.
Lidl Northern Ireland Managing Director Ivan Ryan said: “We’re delighted to kick off 2024 with a number of key expansion projects and are quickly advancing our plans for our first store in south Belfast.
“This new store on Boucher Road will bring major investment to the locality and will create new jobs and bring real choice, quality and the best value to residents and visitors to this part of the city.”
Built to exacting standards, the new Lidl Northern Ireland store at Boucher Road will reflect the retailer’s established ‘concept’ design, which prioritises sustainability and energy efficiency. A modern fit-out will provide high-quality shopping experience, with wide aisles, an in-store bakery, longer till points, enhanced restrooms and employee facilities.
Lidl Northern Ireland said that its new Carryduff store would boast similar features that include a 1,420 sq. metre sales floor and parking for more than 200 vehicles.
Established in 1999 when it opened its first store in Cookstown, Lidl Northern Ireland marks 25 years in the region this year. It now holds a 9.1% market share in Northern Ireland, and has seen the strongest growth amongst all retailers, up 21.3% year-on-year, according to retail information analysts Kantar.
