£31 million boost for Derry and Strabane as Lidl confirms expansion

Lidl Northern Ireland (Lidl NI) is moving forward with a significant investment of £31 million to expand its presence in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area. The new investment will see the addition of three new stores, creating more than 100 new in-store jobs and sustaining more than 500 jobs during their construction phases.

With 44 stores currently in Northern Ireland – including stores in Strabane and at Buncrana Road/Springtown Road in Derry – Lidl’s plans include two new stores in the Waterside and Creggan areas of the city, and a third in Castlederg. 

Lidl made the announcement this morning at a business breakfast at the Guildhall, attended by local business and community stakeholders, and elected representatives – including the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Derry City and Strabane, and MLAs Pádraig Delargy, Ciara Ferguson and Maolíosa McHugh.

Guests heard from Robert Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, and Gordon Cruikshanks, Regional Managing Director for Lidl Northern Ireland, who stressed that the realisation of the retailer’s ambitions for the area “is contingent entirely on the Planning system”.

“This morning, we have reaffirmed our long-term commitment to the Derry City and Strabane District and have been very clear about our ambition to expand here, underpinned by a secured investment of £31 million,” said Mr Cruikshanks. 

“However, our ability to realise the important impact of this major investment – from local job creation to the wider significant social and economic benefit it will bring for local people and communities – is entirely contingent on the Planning system.

“We understand the complexities of the Planning system at both a central and local government level in Northern Ireland and welcome ongoing efforts to address these through the Planning Improvement Programme. However, the pace at which these improvements are being made, and the resultant impact on our business and our customers in the meantime, is of serious concern for Lidl Northern Ireland and our wider global business.” 

Mr Cruikshanks described major delays in securing planning permission for Lidl’s proposed second store in the city of Derry at Crescent Link Retail Park. 

“Our ongoing pursuit of planning permission to build a new £8 million store at Crescent Link has been in the Planning system for more than six years, (355 weeks), having been approved by Derry City and Strabane District Council but called in for review by the Department for Infrastructure in October 2021,” he said. 

“This is particularly frustrating, given that our sole existing store in the city at Buncrana Road/Springtown Road records the highest footfall of our entire store estate in Northern Ireland – pointing to exceptionally strong customer demand for our proposition in Derry.” 

A strong appetite for additional Lidl stores in the area is overwhelmingly affirmed by the findings of recent consumer research in Derry commissioned by the retailer.  The survey – undertaken by Customer Perceptions in the city centre in November 2025 – revealed that 93% of respondents agreed that a city the size of Derry should have more than one Lidl store. Of the 555 respondents, 90% already shop at Lidl’s current store at Buncrana Road/Springtown Road, with 95.2% agreeing they would shop at a Lidl store closer to their home were it available (82.2% ‘very likely’, 13% ‘somewhat likely’). 

Causeway councillor welcomes funding for new social homes

This latest allocation will ensure the delivery of an additional 615 social homes this year, bringing the total new social housing starts to 1,750 this year

Magherafelt volunteer honoured for decades of service with Praxis Care

Patsy Devlin has retired after 16 years with the Befriending Service, leaving a lasting legacy of dedication, advocacy, and friendship

Mr. Cruikshanks concluded: “It is clear that Lidl’s ambition for the Derry area is matched by strong customer demand for our offering. As such, we remain committed to engaging proactively with elected representatives, officers and departmental officials to realise our full social and economic impact in the area.”

Lidl recently released its Supplier and Business Partner Impact Report, which revealed that it procured more than half-a-billion pounds (£557 million) from local suppliers and business partners across Northern Ireland last year (FY24/25, ending February) –a year-on-year increase of £27 million (or 6%) in additional investment in the region. 

The Impact Report launch coincided with the publication of Lidl Northern Ireland’s financial results for the FY 24/25 period which recorded turnover of £523 million. Much of this has been reinvested locally to support Lidl’s ambitious expansion plans including newly constructed and refurbished state-of-the-art stores opened in 2025 in Coleraine, Newcastle, Cookstown and Ballysillan. 

In 2024, the retailer marked its 25th anniversary in the region and commissioned a major economic report which revealed that it contributed a record £360 million into the local economy in 2023 – doubling its annual economic contribution over the past five years – and supporting almost 7,000 jobs right across the region.

Lidl Northern Ireland has powered through almost a quarter of a century with its high-quality, low-price proposition, and has firmly embedded itself as a local brand committed to supplying fresh, home-grown produce at outstanding quality and value.

For more information, please visit lidl-ni.co.uk.