Lidl Northern Ireland procured goods and worth £557 million from local suppliers and business partners in the year to February – 6% more than the previous year – its latest supplier and business partner impact report shows.
The report also reveals that the retailer procured goods from more than 90 local agri-food suppliers including Gilfresh, Wilson’s Country, Dale Farm, Moy Park, Crust & Crumb, WD Meats and Foyle Foods, and £75m of these goods were sold in Lidl’s 43 stores in Northern Ireland, with more than 85% (£413 million) shipped outside the region to Lidl’s expansive network of stores in Britain, Europe and internationally.
The economic impact report comes as Lidl NI recorded a turnover of £523 million in the year to February, an increase of 5% on the 2024 year-end sales figure of £496.7m.
Much of this was reinvested locally to support Lidl’s expansion plans including newly constructed refurbished state-of-the-art stores opened recently in Newcastle and Cookstown as well as a new outlet in Ballysillan which opened earlier this month, bringing its total portfolio of shops in the north to 44.
Gordon Cruikshanks, regional managing director at Lidl Northern Ireland, which directly employs around 1,350 staff, said: “Every year, our supplier and business partner impact report demonstrates our significant investment in the Northern Ireland economy through long-standing, meaningful relationships with our growing network of more than 115 local suppliers and business partners.
“Through our operations, we’re proud to play an important role in showcasing the best home-grown Northern Ireland produce globally, and bring high quality food and drink from our region to millions of shoppers across Europe every day.”
Robert Ryan, chief executive of Lidl Ireland and Lidl Northern Ireland, said: “Our long-standing relationships with local suppliers and business partners has been paramount to our sustained growth and success in Northern Ireland.
“With some of our suppliers working with us since we opened our doors here in 1999, to now exporting millions of pounds worth of Northern Ireland produce across the globe, we very much see our suppliers as an extension of our own operations.
May McFettridge cuts the ribbon to declare open the new Ballysillan store, watched by store manager Matthew Weavers (left) and Lidl’s regional managing director Gordon Cruikshanks
“From growing our supplier base to expanding our network of stores, we have huge ambition for the region and we look forward to continuing to share this growth and success with our valued partners in the years ahead.”
Alongside Lidl’s established network of suppliers across the region, its Kickstart supplier development programme supports small and medium-sized local producers to boost their brand, enhance their supply and reach new customer audiences.
Backed by the Northern Ireland Food & Drink Association (NIFDA), Lidl has invested more than £4 million in showcasing the innovative home-grown produce of local suppliers in its stores across the island of Ireland through Kickstart since 2018.