Lidl to open new 'modern, expansive' NI store after nine-year plan

Belfast Telegraph

30-04-2025

Paralympic Gold Medalist Bethany Firth will cut the ribbon at the grand opening on Thursday, June 19 to welcome new and existing customers to the new concept store.
The new unit at Shan Slieve Drive and Bryansford Road at the foot of the hills will see the existing store at Railway Street in Newcastle town centre relocate after almost 25 years.
Occupying a site of 12,236 square metres, with sales floor space of 1,338 square metres, the site will also provide the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team the space it needs to develop a new facility.
Commenting on the first store opening in the region since taking up his new role as Regional Managing Director for Lidl Northern Ireland Gordon Cruikshanks said: "We have been serving the Newcastle community for the last 25 years from our former premises in Railway Street and our project to develop this brand-new store for the local area has been in planning for the last nine years.
"Newcastle is a thriving community and bustling seaside town attracting visitors from across the island of Ireland. With growing customer numbers in the area and more shoppers choosing to 'Go Full Lidl', we had long outgrown our original store so it's fantastic to now confirm a June opening for the new store.
'Shoppers will be able to enjoy a fully modern, expansive and spacious store, built with sustainability and longevity at the fore, with a few customisations making this a unique store in our portfolio.
'Beyond providing shoppers with the best customer experience in the town, we're looking forward to completing construction of the site to enable the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team to construct an upgraded new base for their services which are invaluable in this community.'
The new Lidl store will incorporate energy efficient features, including LED lighting, heat pumps and PV solar panels, thereby reducing carbon emissions.
Unique for the site is the retailer's first store with a 'living roof' - designed to 'blend seamlessly' with the store's backdrop set within the Mourne Mountains Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Parking for 147 vehicles as well as two electric vehicle charging points also feature in the build.
The £6.3m investment will see 15 new jobs added, bringing the total team employed at Lidl's Newcastle store to 37.
The project also saw over 200 jobs created as part of the planning and construction process.
The Newcastle store is the latest investment by Lidl Northern Ireland in the region, complementing new store opening in recent years in Boucher Road, Stewartstown, Carryduff and Coleraine.