Following an €80m million investment, Lidl today inaugurated its expanded distribution facility in Mullingar, County Westmeath.
The facility supported 1,000 employment during construction and will now result in the establishment of 100 new, permanent jobs.
The shopping centre is a component of Lidl’s €550 million, three-year development plan, which was initially announced in 2021.
“The size of the distribution centre here in Mullingar is 62,000 square meters – that’s about four times the size of Croke Park,” said Alan Barry, chief development officer for Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland.
“This will be Lidl’s largest on the island of Ireland, and indeed one of the biggst distribution centres on the island altogether.”
He said that the retailer’s centralised distribution system was a more effective means of getting stock to its sites across the nation, helping it to save expenses.
The Mullingar centre currently boasts about 3,000 solar panels, enabling it to provide around 20% of its energy requirements.
According to Mr. Barry, all of this will enable Lidl to give customers more competitive prices.
“All of those initiatives and cost-saving measures we will be able to pass on to the consumer,” he said.
“We are conscious now more than ever that more people are choosing discounters and choosing Lidl for their daily shop, and that’s important that we have the infrastructure to expand and to continue to offer them cost-savings to the customer.”
Lidl currently has 177 stores around the country, with plans to open two more later this year.