Lidl Ireland is seeking planning permission to construct a €200 million regional distribution centre in Wallingstown, Little Island, in Cork.
The retailer is aiming to enhance its logistical infrastructure to support ambitious expansion plans in the south and south-east of the country.
The proposed centre would be Lidl Ireland’s fourth facility in the Republic of Ireland and the second located in Cork.
Subject to planning permission, the Little Island regional distribution centre will come on stream by 2030.
Lidl currently services 180 stores in the Republic of Ireland from its three regional distribution centres, in Charleville (North Cork), Mullingar (Westmeath) and Newbridge (Kildare).
Lidl plans to rapidly expand its store network over the next five years. It currently operates 50 stores across Munster – 22 in Cork, six in Limerick, four in Waterford, seven in Kerry, two in Clare, and nine in Tipperary.
The retailer also plans to open a new store in Ballysimon, Limerick, in early 2025.
It is currently engaging in planning processes for six further stores in the Munster region, in counties Limerick, Cork, Kerry, Clare and Waterford.
‘Ambitious Expansion Plans’
Speaking about the retailer’s expansion plans for Munster, the regional managing director for Munster at Lidl Ireland, Tara O’Connor, said, “It is a really exciting time for Lidl, as we look to make a significant investment to future-proof our logistical infrastructure with a new, state-of-the-art regional distribution centre at Little Island.
“Our ambitious expansion plans to increase our store footprint across Munster and the south-east region over the next five years are well under way, with new stores set to welcome customers over the coming months.
“There are many other stores in the pipeline at various stages of the planning process, so this investment in a new distribution centre is vital to meet the future needs of the business, and to ensure we can continue to provide great value to our customers across the region.”
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