New €10m Lidl store opens in Thurles this Thursday

A new €10 million state-of-the-art Lidl store opens to the public tomorrow morning, Thursday, on Slievenamon Road in Thurles.

Planning and construction of the new store, which is located on the site of the old Erin Foods plant, has been underway for over two years and it will finally open to the public tomorrow. Making the announcement, Lidl Ireland said it was pleased to announce the opening of its brand-new store on Slievenamon Road. The new state-of-the-art store brings an investment of €10 million to the locality and 10 to 15 new jobs with the retailer over the next year.

Tipperary sporting icons, Aisling Moloney, seasoned LGFA player and Lidl brand ambassador, and Seamus Callanan, Tipperary Hurling Captain, will join the team at the new Lidl Thurles store on Thursday to do the honours of officially opening the store.

The Tipperary Star was given a sneak preview of the hugely impressive store on Friday last by Sales Operations Manager, Dermot Ryan, who is originally from Loughmore but who is now living in Thurles, and by the Store Manager, Gatis Gribusts.

Lidl Thurles first opened on Abbey Road on the North-West side of the town in 2002 bringing Lidl’s renowned range of top quality produce at market leading prices to the community of Thurles and its surrounds.

Having served the local community for more than 19 years, the current store will now be replaced with the new, top of the range Lidl store on Slievenamon Road on the South-West side of the town.
The €10 million development boasts a new, bright and airy, state-of-the-art store, with a spacious interior layout, high ceilings and wide aisles creating a comfortable shopping experience for customers. Abutting the store is a large carpark plaza serving Lidl and its two auxiliary sites which are yet to be developed.

Adjacent to the store is an onsite café which will be occupied by coffee chain, Insomnia in the coming weeks, providing a nice nook for post-shopping catch ups.

Commending the Thurles community for their continued support, Store Manager, Gatis Gribusts, said; “After a full year of preparation, we are incredibly excited to finally be opening our new and improved store. Although we have relocated to Slievenamon Road, we are only a stone’s throw away from our previous store site, so we are delighted to still be in a convenient and central location for our customers. We have an excellent relationship with the community here in Thurles and we can’t wait to give them an enhanced shopping experience with our new store.”

That relationship with the community was also stressed by Mr. Ryan who spoke of the staff's deep commitment to many causes and organisations in Thurles and their desire to assist those groups whenever possible.

While maintaining its status as the most affordable place to shop, Lidl also continues to pioneer in the area of sustainability.

Lidl’s new Thurles store is an excellent example of this with its 50001 ISO certified energy management system using only renewable electricity, the installation of PV panels on the roof of the store and the installation of two EV charging stations for customer use.
Supporting local biodiversity, the exterior of the store has been fitted with several swift bird nest boxes and swift callers, bat boxes and is surrounded with a wildflower meadow creating an area of pollination promotion.

Over the years, Lidl has become a true pillar of the Thurles and wider Tipperary community.
Through its partnership with FoodCloud, Lidl has donated more than 160,000 meals to local Tipperary charities and community groups, helping to alleviate food poverty.

Furthering its community-focused objectives under its “A Better Tomorrow” corporate social responsibility programme, and to mark the opening tomorrow morning, the Lidl Thurles team welcomed representatives from local charities, Cameo Care Thurles, who provide dementia support, and Down Syndrome Tipperary to accept a donation of €500 each

For further information on Lidl Ireland, products, opening hours and career opportunities please visit www.lidl.ie.