Lidl Northern Ireland has started construction work on the site of its new South Belfast flagship store.

The new shop is located on the Boucher Road retail area, positioned to the front of the National Football Stadium and Olympia Leisure Centre. This new store will add an extra 40 permanent jobs to its regional 1,300 person workforce. Up to 120 temporary jobs will also be supported during the development phase which is underway with contractors Ganson UK breaking ground to develop the 2,288 sqm retail unit.

The refurbished site will also include an adjacent 148-space customer car park, complete with EV charging stations, redeveloping land in front of Olympia's football pitches.

Belfast City Council approved planning permission for the new store last year. Lidl will bring its total Northern Ireland store count to 43 by the end of 2024, now that construction work is also under way on the new £6.5 million store that will anchor Carryduff Shopping Centre. Around 35 permanent jobs will be created in Carryduff when the store is completed later this year as well as 120 construction jobs over the next six months.

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The new Boucher Road store will prioritise sustainability and energy efficiency. A modern fit-out will provide high-quality shopping experience, with wide aisles, an in-store bakery, longer till points, enhanced restrooms and employee facilities. Lidl Northern Ireland said that its new Carryduff store would boast similar features that include a 1,420 sq. metre sales floor and parking for more than 200 vehicles.

Lidl Northern Ireland Managing Director Ivan Ryan said:

"We’re delighted to kick off 2024 with a number of key expansion projects and are quickly advancing our plans for our first store in South Belfast. This new store on Boucher Road will bring major investment to the locality and will create new jobs and bring real choice, quality and the best value to residents and visitors to this part of the city.

"The highly anticipated Boucher Road store will be a welcome addition to the busy retail estate and it further expands our presence across all four corners of the city. We’re delighted to soon be able to serve the south Belfast community at this iconic site next to the region’s most prestigious National Football Stadium.

"We're also really pleased that new store plans in Carryduff are now progressing, and we look forward to celebrating its opening and to welcoming new colleagues and customers in both locations this year."

The retailer, which opened a new Strabane store in December is also progressing new store developments in Cookstown, Dungannon and Coleraine as part of a major planned investment across its growing Northern Ireland network. Lidl Northern Ireland has also submitted planning applications to position new stores at Rushmere Shopping Centre in Craigavon and adjacent to Bloomfield Shopping Centre in Bangor. Both will replace longstanding nearby outlets with all-new, brighter, larger and modern retail outlets.