IRELAND: Lidl to open 60 new stores across Ireland | Progresiv
Leading grocery discounter Lidl has announced plans to open 60 more stores in Ireland, a move that will see competition increase within the country's grocery sector where Musgrave is currently the market leader. 
According to IGD, Lidl achieved 1.15 billion euros turnover in Ireland in 2014 and this is set to rise with the news of the discounter's bold store expansion plan which is more than any other Irish supermarket has committed to. Lidl currently has 143 stores in Ireland and 38 in Northern Ireland, however the additional 60 stores will take Lidl's total store count across the island of Ireland to over 240.
Lidl has taken on CBRE, a leading global commercial property and real estate services adviser, to find sites for the expansion. A priority for the discounter is the store location with criteria including a high profile site that has good accessibility and visibility. Lidl is prepared to wait for the right sites, with CBRE anticipating a three year time frame to find the 60 sites.
Attracting more city shoppers
While ideal sites will be two acres in size, smaller plots will also be considered in urban areas as the discounter looks to attract more transient shoppers, a concept it has tried in its home market Germany. Lidl also has a preference for freehold sites to cater for stores sized between 1,800 to 2,400 sq m. A way in which Lidl has innovated to make the most of smaller sites is to put the store on stilts, using the space underneath for shopper parking. (www.retailanalysis.igd.com)
