First Lidl Northern Ireland store in south Belfast will feature a drive-thru café and support 200 jobs

Lidl Northern Ireland has been given the green light to construct a new state-of-the-art store at Boucher Road, bringing the retailer’s high quality, low price offering to residents in south Belfast for the first time.

Belfast City Council granted planning permission this week for the new store after an extensive local consultation with stakeholders and the wider community, as well as onsite engagement with elected representatives, which was positively received.

The application was further supported by local residents who requested urgent approval of the plans by council to ensure access to this essential shopping facility as soon as possible.

The new development sits on a site of 9,792 square metres and will include a 1,425 square metre Lidl store as well as a drive-thru café measuring 566 square metres.

The new development will create around 35 permanent retail jobs and support a further 200 jobs during the construction phase.

The Boucher Road store will become the retailer’s ninth in the Belfast city area and is the final development in a £32 million project announced in November 2020 to create five new stores in the Greater Belfast region at Castlereagh Road, Crumlin Road, Holywood Exchange, Shore Road and Boucher Road.

Chris Speers, property director at Lidl NI, said: “Boucher Road is a strategically important location for us, expanding our reach into the south Belfast area for the first time and bringing a multi-million pound investment and new jobs to the local area. A key commuter belt and prime retail shopping area, the new store at Boucher Road is well positioned to serve local residents, shoppers, commuters and visitors alike.

“We’re delighted to have received such warm support from the local community who have been prolific in their support of the build and recognise the benefits this will bring residents, providing a new shopping facility at a critical time of need.

“By expanding our footprint into south Belfast, we will be serving thousands of people in new communities in and around the city with the highest quality products at the best prices on the market.”

The new Lidl NI store reflects the retailer’s established ‘concept’ design, which prioritises sustainability and energy efficiency. A modern fit-out provides a high-quality shopping experience, with wide aisles, longer till points, enhanced restrooms and employee facilities. The site will also include a 148-space car park, including electric vehicle charging points.

With 41 stores across the region at present, Lidl NI is committed to delivering on its ambition to open 50 stores by the end of the decade.

Confirmed as NI’s fastest-growing supermarket by Kantar, with 12.6% market share growth over the last two years and holding a 7% market share of the region’s overall grocery market, Lidl contributes around £180 million a year to the local economy and sustains around 3,500 jobs.

Last year, a new impact report found that Lidl NI ploughed a record £347 million into the agri-food industry here in the last financial year ending February 2022 and supported 60 local producers to success. Of that £347 million, £298 million worth of goods procured locally were exported globally through Lidl’s expansive store network, reaching new customer bases across Europe from Great Britain and Ireland as far as Romania, Greece, Cyprus and even to the USA.

The company employs more than 1,500 staff across its 41-strong store network and Regional Distribution Centre in Nutt’s Corner, Co. Antrim, and in January announced its recruitment of an additional 200 employees this year.