Lidl confirms plans for new £8m Cookstown store

PLANS for a new state-of-the-art Lidl supermarket in Cookstown have been unveiled which will create 18 additional jobs in the town, expanding its existing team to 40 employees as part of an £8 million planned investment.

Around 200 jobs will be supported during the construction and development phases ahead of its opening next year.

A full planning application has been lodged with Mid Ulster District council following a successful and extensive community consultation in August, held within its existing store at Station Square, outlining its plans to completely replace and relocate to a new location at Orritor Road.

The current store at Station Square was Lidl’s first to be built on the island of Ireland in 1999. Confirmation of its plans for a new store in Cookstown comes as the retailer prepares to mark its 25-year anniversary in the North next year.

The new store will include an enlarged 1,670 square metre sales floor within the new 2,475 square metre building, incorporating wider aisles, an instore bakery, toilets, baby-changing facilities and employee areas built to exacting standards with sustainability at the fore.

Ivan Ryan, Lidl NI’s regional managing director, said, “We’re thrilled to progress plans to create a new state-of-the-art store for the residents of Cookstown.”

He added, “We are delighted to now lodge a full planning proposal, backed by local residents and stakeholders, to deliver this significant project.”

Earlier this year, Lidl Northern Ireland revealed that it spent a record £455 million in the local agri-food sector, sourcing its supplies from around 60 producers in the region – the lion’s share, or £390 million of which, was exported to stores across the UK, Ireland and Europe.