01/12/2020

Lidl Northern Ireland officially opened the doors of its brand-new store in Holywood Exchange Retail Park, creating 30 new local jobs and marking the retailer’s 40th store since establishing in Northern Ireland in 1999.

The store was opened on Thursday by representatives from local sporting club, Queens Gymnastics, who officially cut the ribbon and welcomed customers to the new store. Based in Queens Leisure Complex in Holywood, the gymnastics club were named winners of Lidl Northern Ireland’s Sport for Good competition last year and received a £4,000 boost from the retailer to support the club.

The Holywood Exchange store represents an investment of £3 million and creates 30 new jobs for the local area. Occupying a 1,400 sq metre sales floor and a total internal area of 2,050 square metres, the new store boasts a high-quality shopping environment with more space, wider aisles, longer tills, restrooms and baby-changing facilities.

Customers can also avail of a new ‘Lidl-to-Go’ coffee machine and a larger bakery area offering a wider range of freshly baked goods. The store also includes improved facilities for store staff such as a larger canteen, welfare area and shower facilities.

Holywood Exchange occupies a landmark position around three miles east of Belfast City Centre and eight miles from Bangor and is situated close to the town of Holywood. The site is also located at the primary gateway into Belfast Harbour Estate.

With a strong local road network and extensive parking of around 700 spaces in an established, growing retail location, the retail park is already home to Harvey Norman, Next Home, Decathlon, EZ Living Interiors, Costa Coffee and Subway, and is located next to Northern Ireland’s only IKEA store.