Lidl is investing £6 million and generating 100 new jobs in the construction of its first store in south Belfast, where it will compete with Marks & Spencer for customers.
The company has sought for planning approval to open on Boucher Road, where M&S will be its nearest supermarket neighbor, according to the company.
The 1,425-square-meter store will be located between the National Football Stadium and the Olympia Leisure Centre. On the almost 10,000 square meter site, there will also be a drive-through cafe.
The supermarket, according to Lidl, will open as early as this year and will support 200 construction employment in addition to 100 permanent retail positions.
The store, which will be Lidl's tenth in Belfast, will also feature a 148-space car park with charging stations for electric vehicles. As the December 19 deadline for using Spend Local cards loomed, plans for Lidl's 42nd shop in Northern Ireland were disclosed. The latest UK high street footfall numbers from Springboard revealed a 20% week on week increase in activity.
Northern Ireland's footfall rise from Sunday, December 12 to Saturday, December 18 considerably exceeded the rest of the UK, according to retail data firm Springboard.
The north of England and Yorkshire had the second biggest increase in footfall, with an increase of 8.1 percent, out of 12 UK areas.
Lidl plans to expand its retail network in the region to 50 locations.
It will spend £32 million on new or replacement stores in five Belfast locations.
Chris Speers, Lidl Northern Ireland's regional property executive, said:
“Since confirming a £32m investment into the Greater Belfast region with five key sites late last year, we’re pleased to be delivering these projects at pace and with great success.
“We’ve opened two new stores at Holywood Exchange and Crumlin Road and I’m pleased to confirm we’re moving ahead with plans to relocate our existing store at Castlereagh Road to an adjacent site and to redevelop and expand our existing Shore Road store,” he said.
“Our fifth site at 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 significant commuter belt and outstanding retail shopping location," he said of Boucher Road and its vicinity.
He also stated that the National Football Stadium would be a big draw for visitors.
"We're glad to have worked closely with councillors, major businesses, and the broader community to bring these proposals forward, and we're grateful for the good support we've received for these plans," Mr Speers continued.
Currently, the German retail brand has 41 outlets and 1,100 employees in Northern Ireland.
It is investing £26 million in the north west of Northern Ireland, with plans for a new store in Strabane and two in Londonderry.
Despite a solid 20 percent week-on-week gain in Northern Ireland, activity is still down 25.9% in 2019 compared to the pre-pandemic era, according to Springboard's latest research on UK footfall.
However, it is up 11% from 2020.
