Lidl Northern Ireland is bringing country back for the opening of its new state-of-the-art concept store on James Street in Omagh, which will be officially unveiled by country music sensations and local celebrities Barry Kirwan and Cliona Hagan on October 13.
ocated at the junction of Dromore Road and James Street, the new-look Lidl Northern Ireland store will create 15 new retail positions and has supported a further 200 jobs during the construction and development phase.
Plans to modernise and extend the store were granted approval last October by Fermanagh & Omagh District Council following an extensive community consultation.
Occupying a site of 8,029 square metres, including a sales floor of 1,420 square metres, the new store will be more than twice the size of the existing James Street site, and will incorporate a 95-space car park with two electric vehicle charging points, landscaping and a large warehouse.
Omagh local, country music artist and Lidl Northern Ireland team member Barry Kirwan, and Ballinderry-born singer Cliona Hagan, who made it to the final of RTE reality talent competition The All Ireland Talent Show, will officially cut the ribbon to unveil the new look Lidl Northern Ireland store and participate in a meet-and-greet with shoppers from 8am-9am.
“The opening of the new Omagh store is particularly poignant for me as Lidl Northern Ireland has been a great support for my family during the last few years, when the music and entertainment scene took a hit as a result of the pandemic and my gigs dried up,” said Kirwan.
“I took on a day job with Lidl Northern Ireland in the current Omagh store and thoroughly enjoyed the work, so am looking forward to getting back to officially open the new and improved site on James Street, and, alongside Cliona Hagan, to meet with customers on the morning.
“The store truly is a great addition to the local area, with a fantastic range of high-quality products at great value, and a real focus on supporting local, Northern Irish suppliers. There are always great opening day deals to be had as well, so I’m looking forward to getting in myself for the weekly shop on Thursday 13 October.”
Built to the retailer’s pioneering and award-winning ‘concept’ design, which prioritises sustainability, spacious, wide aisles, long tills, restrooms, employee and baby-changing facilities, customers can look forward to a modern shopping experience with an expanded product range.
The new store opening is part of Lidl Northern Ireland’s long-term plan to grow its store network to 50 by 2030, including three new stores in Derry-Londonderry and Strabane as part of a wider £26m investment into the Northwest region, and bring its Big on Quality, Lidl on Price proposition to more shoppers across the region.
Gordon Cruikshanks, sales operations director for Lidl Northern Ireland, said: “As Northern Ireland’s fastest-growing supermarket, we’re thrilled to continue moving forward confidently with our long-established plans to rejuvenate and breathe new life into our site at Omagh, where we first opened a Lidl Northern Ireland store in 2003.
“I look forward to welcoming the 15 new members to our team and to bringing fresh, high-quality products and market-leading value to local shoppers.”