German budget chain has plans for Patrick Street

10:35, 22 Jun 2026Updated 10:46, 22 Jun 2026

Lidl will open in the former SuperValu site in Merchant’s Quay Shopping Centre(Image: CB)

Lidl are set to double their presence in town – with a new store in what was formerly a SuperValu outlet.

The German budget supermarket chain already has a store on Cornmarket Street, on the northside on Mount Agnes Road in Fairhill and at Clashduv Road in Togher.

But Lidl will soon open a new outlet in the space that was a SuperValu on Merchant’s Quay. The closure of that store in January of 2023 left Cork city centre without a SuperValu and an empty space in Merchant’s Quay, where the Dunnes Stores and Marks & Spencers stores still serve the city centre.

The new Lidl will give some impetus to efforts to revive and restyle the shopping centre that was completed in 1989 and is not exactly celebrated by Leesiders for its very 1980s style. There have been various plans to update and redevelop the centre, which has little or no views out on the river it sits besides.

And in November of last year, planning permission was granted for a major new food court and restaurant on the upper floor of the shopping centre that would bring several empty units back into use.

Cork City Council granted permission to Dublin firm YOLO Party Limited to open a new restaurant called ‘Wing’s World Cuisine’ on the first floor of Merchant’s Quay.

A Dublin-owned company has plans to open a large Asiain buffet restuarant along the lines of Wings World in Dublin – which is a very popular eatery on Wolfe Tone Street in Dublin, known for special offers, cocktails and live ‘Teppanyaki’-style cooking demonstration shows. The vast menu offers dishes from around the world, including pizza and pasta, steaks, sundaes, seafood, carvery, and, of course, Asian buffet bites.

Cork City Council approved plans to remove the partitions between several units on the upper floor and transform them into one large, amalgamated restaurant space. They also sought permission for the installation of a new entrance on St Patrick’s Street by converting an existing private door to public use.