Lidl Northern Ireland has opened its doors to its new store in Newcastle, Co Down, marking another milestone in the retailer’s investment plan worth more than £150 million, upgrading and expanding its store network in the region.
Located at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, the new concept store has relocated from its position at Railway Street in the town centre, which has been serving the local community for 24 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 space to develop its new facility, futureproofing the organisation’s future plans and its ability to continue providing a lifesaving service in the Mourne region.
Developed to meet increasing customer demand, the investment worth more than £6.3m has created 15 new jobs, 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.
Designed with a focus on sustainability and Lidl’s ambition to achieve net-zero by 2050, this unique store features a ‘living roof’– designed to blend seamlessly with the store’s backdrop set within the Mourne Mountains Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Speaking at the store opening today, Paralympic Gold Medallist, Bethany Firth MBE, cut the ribbon at the grand opening, welcoming new and existing customers eager to explore the aisles of the hotly anticipated new store:
“As a proud ambassador for Lidl’s Sport for Good programme, I am delighted to welcome Lidl Northern Ireland’s newest store to my local area. As someone born and raised in County Down, I am pleased to see Lidl’s contribution to the local community that has welcomed the creation of new jobs, while promising continued environmental sustainability – protecting our outstanding local landscape.
The impressive new store not only offers local shoppers’ quality and value but also demonstrates Lidl’s genuine investment in our community’s future. By providing a new base for the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team, it’s great to see a business that truly understands and is sensitive to the place we call home, supporting the continued provision of a life-saving service in the local area.”
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 24 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 are delighted to move to a larger, more sustainable, modern new store for the local community and visitors alike.
We’re also looking forward to completing further developments on our new site, to enable the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team to construct an upgraded new base for their services which are invaluable in this community.”
This morning, shoppers were welcomed by Bethany Firth MBE, and the Lidl team for a celebration of the opening, with the first ten shoppers receiving a voucher for the store. Two local charities, Home Start Newcastle Borough and Mind Your Mate and Yourself, also attended and received a generous donation from Lidl.
The Newcastle store is the latest investment by Lidl Northern Ireland in the region and comes a week before the milestone opening of newest Cookstown location – over 25 years after the original opening in 1999.
For more information visit www.lidl-ni.co.uk