Lidl opens first store in south Belfast after £7m investment

The £7m opening at Boucher Road has created 40 new jobs. It is the 10th Lidl supermarket in Belfast and store number 42 in Northern Ireland.

Co Down man Rhys, the first gymnast from the island of Ireland to win gold at the Olympics, welcomed shoppers to the store when it opened on Thursday.

Lidl said the ‘concept’ store totalled a £7m investment by the business, which marked 25 years in Northern Ireland earlier this year.

The new store is between Northern Ireland’s National Football Stadium and Olympia Leisure Centre, and includes an 148-space customer car park with EV charging points.

Ivan Ryan, Lidl Northern Ireland managing director, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to officially open our new Boucher Road store and to bring Lidl to south Belfast for the first time.

“This has been a highly anticipated project and we knew we would have a lot of interest in the new store, but we’ve been blown away by the number of customers visiting us this morning, and the positive response from both new and existing Lidl shoppers.”

He said the opening reflecting its commitment to creating new jobs and investing in NI.

“Realising this new store has been a priority for Lidl Northern Ireland and I’d like to thank local residents and businesses for their ongoing support and for the warm welcome they have given us this morning.”

The retailer said it had also marked the new store opening by donating £1,000 in store vouchers to Barnardo’s Northern Ireland and Belfast & Lisburn Women’s Aid.

It said the store included energy efficient features such as roof solar panels, as well as an in-store bakery, longer till points and “enhanced” restrooms and facilities for employees.

Rhys said: “It’s been an incredible morning, meeting the crowds of people who have come along to join us in celebrating the opening of the first Lidl store in south Belfast.

“As Lidl Northern Ireland has supported me along my journey to Olympic success, I am proud to be here supporting the Boucher Road team this morning, as they welcome new and existing shoppers to this impressive new store.”

Lidl holds a 9.2% share of the grocery market in Northern Ireland, according to retail information analysts Kantar.

But Mr Ryan has said it hopes to more than double its share to 20% over the next few years.

He told Belfast Telegraph sister publication Ulster Business in July.

“We have a mission of upwards of 60 stores,” he said.

“Single digit market share is thing of the past. Our aim is to be choice for everyone – 20% market share – that’s where we should be in terms of what we offer the customers.”

According to its latest filed accounts, sales for Lidl in Northern Ireland stand at £434m, with pre-tax profits of just over £11m for the year ending February 2023.