Lidl in Ireland Adventures

Competitors within the Irish grocery trade is set to become even more intense following the disclosure by German discounter Lidl that it is seeking for websites for greater than 60 extra shops on both sides from the Border.

The planned expansion is believed to be the largest by any in the principal grocery multiples and coincides with indicators of a continuing recovery in customer spending within the Republic.

Lidl is currently one of the largest retailers in Ireland with 143 shops as well as a further 38 in Northern Ireland. The other German discount chain Aldi has 115 retailers in the Republic but doesn't trade in Northern Ireland.

Lidl has appointed CBRE’s Dublin and Belfast offices to discover key web sites in cities and towns to facilitate the expansion. Following opening its very first store here in 2000, it expanded quickly and "experienced unparalleled growth throughout their lifetime in Ireland," based on the organization.

As a part of the continued expansion method it says it's "looking to open extra 60-plus stores on higher profile websites with excellent visibility and accessibility."
Freehold properties
The ideal website will be two acres in size though smaller sized plots of around a single acre will be considered in higher density urban places. There is certainly also a preference for freehold properties to accommodate retailers ranging in size from 1,800 sq m to 2,400 sq m (19, 375 sq ft/25,833 sq ft).

Florence Stanley, head of retail at CBRE Dublin, mentioned that as well as mounting a countrywide look for appropriate web sites, they would be contacting local estate agents to find the best enterprise locations.

"It may well take a although to fulfil our commitment but if we manage to line up 60 sites inside 3 years our client would most likely be happy."

Although the majority of irenon.com the existing Lidl properties have substantial parking facilities, the business has also been in a position to avail of smaller sized, well-located web sites by putting the stores on stilts and using the space underneath the building for parking.

1 such shop is positioned around the 1.14-acre former Sunday Planet web site in Terenure which recently opened for enterprise.

That site was purchased by a residential improvement business during the home boom for €18.3 million and was acquired after the crash by Lidl for greater than €4 million.
Not good news
Tara Buckley, director general from the Retail Grocery Dairy and Allied Trades Association, said 60 discount supermarkets was not good news for Irish towns and villages.

A report by economist Jim Power had shown that a euro spent within a locally owned shop was worth 3 times greater than 1 spent inside a British or German chain. At the end in the day their earnings go back to Germany or the UK.

Lidl’s share from the discount industry in the North has risen considerably over the years though surprisingly the organization has not been challenged in that marketplace by Aldi. That company recently confirmed that its planned £600 million expansion within the UK - it really is to open an additional 550 outlets - will not include Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, Tesco continues to be mulling more than the long delayed megastore planned for Liffey Valley Buying Centre in west Dublin. It has denied it is to be abandoned just like 49 other supermarket projects within the UK.

Preparing permission for the store was granted by An Bord Plean?la in June 2016 and, according to an official spokesperson, the company is "working by means of preparing compliance with all the nearby authority and as such a commencement date for the development has not but been finalised".