Discount retailer Lidl has outlined plans to add 16 supermarkets in Northern Ireland by 2032, taking its regional network to more than 60 outlets.
According to a BBC report, the expansion is projected to contribute around £475m ($644.6m) a year to the local economy and lift Lidl’s Northern Ireland workforce to approximately 2,400.
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The discounter currently employs 1,400 people in the region and accounts for close to 10% of the grocery market there.
The report also indicated that developing the new stores is expected to require an investment of £500m.
In addition to recent openings, Lidl has been upgrading or rebuilding several existing Northern Ireland locations.
The retailer used the announcement to reiterate concerns over planning delays affecting new projects, citing a proposed £8m outlet in the North West that it said has been in the planning system for more than six years.
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By GlobalDataIn a separate development, Lidl Great Britain (GB) said last month it would open 19 stores as part of its ongoing UK expansion.
The company also invested more than £40m to refurbish over 70 existing outlets nationwide, a programme expected to create up to 640 jobs.
Those openings will extend Lidl’s presence to additional areas of the UK, with promotional activities planned for launch days.
In other developments, Lidl received approval last year from France’s competition authority, Autorité de la Concurrence, to acquire 19 Auchan Supermarché food stores and eight associated petrol stations.
In October 2025, Lidl cut 130 jobs in its UK HR and recruitment teams as it moved to centralise these functions at its London headquarters.
The affected positions were based at regional distribution centres.
