Discount supermarket Aldi will create 140 full-time jobs after it announced plans to significantly expand its presence in the west of Ireland.
As well as the retail jobs, there will be a further 350 construction roles building new stores in Ballina, Tuam, Mountbellew, Athenry, Ballyhaunis and Galway city, along with store upgrades in Portumna, Clifden, Galway Retail Park and Ballinasloe.
The €63million expansion programme in Connacht was announced yesterday as Aldi opened a new €10million store in Ballina - its fifth in Co. Mayo.
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Leo Varadkar said: "This €63million investment by Aldi in the west and the 140 new permanent jobs it will create over the next two years is really great news. A further 350 jobs will be created through the construction of new shops and the upgrade of some existing ones.
"The Government is committed to creating a job for everyone that wants one, in the county of their choice, so I'm glad to see a good spread of investment with further investment potentially on the horizon."
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The Fine Gael leader added: "Aldi offers a living wage to its workers which is an important priority of mine too.
"I know this news will be welcomed by suppliers as well as the local communities and I wish everyone involved the very best of luck with it."
Aldi Ireland boss Niall O'Connor said: "Aldi's commitment to further embedding and expanding our value offering has never been more relevant and remains our key business priority.
"The cost-of-living crisis is impacting every household and we are very aware of what it means for our customers."
He added: "Aldi has always prioritised value as we know that the weekly shop is among the largest outlays in every household budget.
"Being able to offer our customers the best value at locations most convenient to them matters more than ever."
