New Lidl store officially opened in Tullamore

The new Lidl store situated on Church Road in Tullamore has been officially opened today. On hand to cut the ribbon were Offaly Ladies Footballers Mairead Daly and Amy Mannion.

It is the 200th Lidl store on the island of Ireland and it will create 25 full-time jobs while also helping to regenerate what was a derelict part of the town.

Lidl has a number of very special offers for customers to coincide with the opening of the store. You can check them out BY CLICKING HERE but be quick because they are only there while stocks last.

Before the store was stocked up, the Offaly Express was granted a sneak peek inside the new building. You can check out the gallery BY CLICKING HERE

Traffic lights at the junction linking the new road outside Lidl to the Tanyard have also been turned on in advance of the opening of the store. READ MORE HERE

Located on Church Road, Lidl has regenerated the site of the old Tullamore Hardware unit and surrounding yard that was once the site of the old bacon factory resulting in a major investment for the town. The new store boasts a modern architectural design incorporating local stone cladding, a spacious interior layout with high ceilings and wide aisles, meaning Lidl can offer customers an enhanced shopping experience, with the same great value.

A Lidl to Go coffee machine and a large bakery area will offer customers an increased range of delicious, freshly baked goods, tea and coffee. Facilities for store staff will include a spacious canteen, welfare area and shower areas. The store opening hours will facilitate customers in the surrounding areas, opening 8.00am to 10.00pm Monday to Saturday and 9.00am to 9.00pm on Sundays. Shoppers can also avail of 137 car parking spaces ensuring a hassle free trip. 

A number of local works also formed part of the regeneration project. Lidl built a new stretch of road infrastructure for the town linking Church Road with Tanyard Lane. Tanyard Lane is now converted into a safer, one - way system heading towards the town centre, providing a designated walking and cycling area with new road markings and signage. Lidl also built a new riverside walk for locals to enjoy along the Tullamore River. 

Built with sustainability in mind, the new Lidl store in Tullamore incorporates a range of strategies to reduce environmental impact. Over the next few weeks a solar photovoltaic system will be installed which will generate approximately 25% of the store s energy requirements.

All new Lidl stores and major refurbishment projects will incorporate solar panels as part of Lidl's renewable energy programme. Certified to ISO 50001 energy efficiency standards, the new store incorporates features such as heat recovery, LED lighting, sensor controlled exterior sun blinds to reduce unwanted heat from the sun, and high insulation external cladding. 

The store will also offer customers free use of two electric vehicle charging points. Lidl Ireland are continuing to roll out electric vehicle charging points to all new stores and across all major store refurbishment projects. This means that Lidl will provide the largest network of electric vehicle chargers in the Irish supermarket sector, enabling customers to charge their electric vehicles free of charge whilst they shop. 

The 200th store will also offer customers in-store recycling stations. Becoming the first Irish retailer to offer this service, Lidl has introduced segregated recycling stations at the end of customer checkouts in all 200 stores on the island of Ireland.  This market-leading initiative offers Lidl customers the opportunity to remove any unwanted recyclable packaging and to recycle it free-of-charge in-store once they have completed their shopping, therefore avoiding any disposal costs associated with bringing the packaging home. 

Sean Collins, Lidl Tullamore Store Manager said; We are very proud to be opening Lidl s 2nd store in Tullamore today. Not only is it our 2nd store in the town, but today, Lidl Ireland officially hit the 200th store mark on the island of Ireland. It s such a vibrant community, and we as a team here in Lidl Tullamore, are excited to get to know the locals over the next couple of weeks. The new state of the art store is packed full of fantastic products at market leading prices. We would also like to thank LGFA Offaly Captain, Mairead Daly and teammate, Amy Mannion for assisting us with the opening today. 

The new store will sees Lidl complete a major investment in Co. Offaly that started with its modernisation of the Main Street unit in Tullamore in 2015, followed by the reopening of its new Edenderry store in December 2017 and the opening of its new store in Birr in 2018. 

To celebrate the opening, Lidl welcomed representatives from the School Of Special Needs and Family Carers Ireland to collect a donation of €500 each to go towards the hard work that they do in the locality.Lidl is committed to working with its growing number of over 200 Irish suppliers to bring the best of fresh, local produce to its network of 200 stores on the island of Ireland. Lidl invests 700 million per annum in sourcing Irish goods and services. For further information on Lidl, products, opening hours and any career opportunities please visit www.lidl.ie