Lidl Ireland’s plans for a new €200 million Regional Distribution Centre on part of the former Mitsui Denman Site in Wallingstown, Little Island could create up to 350 jobs in Cork. The proposed Regional Distribution Centre would be Lidl’s fourth facility in the Republic of Ireland and the second to be located in Cork.
The CEO of Little Island Business Association, Michael Mulcahy said:
“We are delighted that Lidl has chosen Cork and Ireland’s largest business district of Little Island as home for their new distribution centre. We have been engaging with the company and with their professional advisors from the outset of this project. We have found a real willingness on the part of the company to engage, listen and hear the views of the residential community in particular, as well as the business community, and to structure their plans around what is beneficial for the area as well as what is practical and will work for them as a company.
This is the model of engagement and pre-planning that we like to see and want to see for this area, as it is one where relationships are built from the outset on trust and openness, and where ongoing supports are given to a community that seeks to assist a new inhabitant with everything that they need to make them feel at home in their new location.”
The German supermarket chain remains one of Ireland’s fastest-growing food retailers, as there are currently 223 stores operating throughout the island of Ireland, including both the Republic and Northern Ireland. As part of an extensive €600 million investment initiative, Lidl Ireland hopes to establish 35 new stores along with the new Regional Distribution Centre within the next five years.
The proposed Regional Distribution Centre will play a crucial role in allowing Lidl Ireland to upgrade its logistical infrastructure and meet the necessary operational requirements that will both support and allow for further expansion, particularly in the south and southeast of the country. With approximately 700 people employed across the 22 Cork-based Lidl stores, the Distribution Centre will be essential for providing further employment opportunities within Cork and facilitating the growth of the wider Lidl store network.
