{"id":431771,"date":"2026-02-18T06:04:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T06:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/431771\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T06:04:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T06:04:26","slug":"lidl-announce-plans-to-open-at-least-16-more-stores-in-ni-as-part-of-500m-investment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/431771\/","title":{"rendered":"Lidl announce plans to open at least 16 more stores in NI as part of \u00a3500m investment"},"content":{"rendered":"

The expansion would more than double the retailer’s annual contribution to the Northern Ireland economy\"Lidl<\/p>\n

Lidl stock image(Image: Justin Kernoghan\/Belfast Live)<\/p>\n

Lidl has confirmed plans to open at least another 16 stores in Northern Ireland as a new report found that the company’s economic contribution to Northern Ireland could rise by almost half a billion pounds a year if it is allowed to go ahead with major expansion plans.<\/p>\n

The supermarket chain, which currently operates 44 stores in Northern Ireland<\/a>, wants to grow to more than 60 by 2032. The move would be backed by a \u00a3500 million investment programme.<\/p>\n

A new independent study by KPMG estimates that, once the new stores are fully operational, Lidl\u2019s expanded network could support an extra \u00a3475 million a year in gross value added (GVA). That would take its total annual contribution to the Northern Ireland economy to more than \u00a3835 million.<\/p>\n

However, the retailer said the plans are \u201centirely contingent on the Planning system\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Gordon<\/p>\n

Gordon Cruikshanks, Regional Managing Director for Lidl Northern Ireland (left), and Robert Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland (right), pictured at Stormont.<\/p>\n

The findings were presented at Stormont<\/a> on Tuesday morning, where senior representatives from the retailer met Ministers, MLAs and civil servants.<\/p>\n

The report examines the potential economic and social impacts of Lidl\u2019s<\/a> proposed store developments, including job creation, support for local suppliers, and wider community benefits.<\/p>\n

According to the study, between 2026 and 2031 more than 16 new stores would open. During this construction and development phase, the activity is expected to support \u00a3281 million in GVA.<\/p>\n

It also estimates that around 2,966 jobs would be supported during this period, measured in job-years. That would equate to \u00a3118 million in wages and \u00a336 million in income tax revenues.<\/p>\n

From 2032 onwards, once the additional stores are fully up and running, the expanded network is expected to support around 2,372 jobs each year. These roles would generate \u00a367 million in wages annually, \u00a317 million in income tax and \u00a33.2 million in non-domestic rates.<\/p>\n

Robert Ryan, Chief Executive Officer, Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, said: \u201cHaving opened our first store in Northern Ireland 26 years ago, we know the importance and the impact of sustained, long-term investment in the local economy. \u201cOur store development pipeline is a material investment that supports the Northern Ireland Executive\u2019s<\/a> economic and social priorities. Furthermore, evidence shows that retail-led investment of this nature converts private capital into local jobs, wages, tax revenues and improved access to essential goods, delivering public value without additional public spending. \u201cAlongside this significant economic impact, locally and across the region, each new Lidl store brings stronger local connections and increased capacity to support employees, charities and grassroots organisations in communities across Northern Ireland. \u201cWe have clearly outlined our commitment to Northern Ireland and our ambition to grow here,\u201d he continued. \u201cThis study reinforces our potential economic and social impact in the region – underpinned by our \u00a3500 million expansion investment – but our ability to realise this impact is contingent entirely on the Planning system.\u201d<\/p>\n

In December 2025, Lidl expressed concerns about major delays in securing planning permission for its proposed second store in Derry <\/a>at Crescent Link Retail Park, which has spent more than six years in the planning system.<\/p>\n

\"\"Get political analysis and headlines from James McCarthy direct to your inbox<\/p>\n

Sign up here for our Party Lines newsletter<\/a> and get the latest political analysis and headlines from Belfast Live’s Political Reporter James McCarthy direct to your inbox twice a week.<\/p>\n

Want to see more of the stories you love from Belfast Live? Making us your preferred source on Google<\/a> means you\u2019ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Belfast Live as a preferred source, simply click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The expansion would more than double the retailer’s annual contribution to the Northern Ireland economy Lidl stock image(Image:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[84,273,3017,3016,3018,59,721,229,1758,10856,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-431771","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-business-news","10":"tag-co-derry","11":"tag-co-fermanagh","12":"tag-co-tyrone","13":"tag-gb","14":"tag-lidl","15":"tag-politics","16":"tag-shopping","17":"tag-stormont","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom","20":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=431771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/431772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=431771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=431771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=431771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}