Lidl has made capital investment of €2.4 billion and supported 10,240 jobs in Ireland since launching here 25 years ago.

A report by Oxford Economics to make the milestone shows that the supermarket retailer contributed €997 million to Ireland's gross domestic product last year, reflecting the value created by the company's retail activities.

Of the total, €891m came from activity at 186 Lidl stores in Ireland, representing growth of 39% over the past five years. Sourcing of Irish goods for export generated an additional €106m, and Lidl operations contributed €329m in taxes to the Exchequer.

The group has grown its share of the Irish grocery market to 13.8% since first opening its doors in 2000 at stores in Athlone, Ballinasloe, Cavan, Letterkenny, Limerick, Mullingar, and Portlaoise. It estimates that 1.5m people shop in Lidl every week.

In 2024 alone, Lidl spent €1.3bn with 400 Irish suppliers, an increase of 70% over five years, and the company procured at least €69m worth of goods in each of its eight key regions.

Dublin, the mid-east, and the border regions benefited from 66% (€827m) of the investment. Recent substantial local supplier contracts include a €30m contract with Cork’s Keohane’s Seafood and a €6m contract with Dublin’s Golden Bake.

Lidl now exports Irish products to 27 international markets, including France, Germany, the UK, and the US. The midlands region led in exports, with 66% of procurement destined for international markets, driven by global suppliers like Longford-based C&D Foods and Panelto Foods.

In 2024, Lidl employed 5,529 people directly through its network of more than 180 stores, three regional distribution centres and centralised operations in the Republic of Ireland.

Beyond its direct workforce, the report estimated thatLidl sustained a further 4,710 jobs in 2024 considering both supply chain and the wider impacts of consumer spending, bringing the total number of jobs supported by the retailer to approximately 10,240 jobs across the Irish economy last year.

Since 2019, the company’s direct employment in Ireland grew by a quarter (+24%), with every region seeing gains. Notably, Lidl’s employment in the west increased by 57%, followed by the border (+52%) and the mid‑west (+51%) regions.

Of the €2.4bn in capital investment, €694m (29%) has been made in the past five years, and the group has committed €600m over the next five years to develop up to 35 stores as well as a €200m regional distribution centre in Cork. The company will also invest €10m in its first Net Zero Energy store in Maynooth.

“As we mark 25 years of Lidl Ireland, we’re proud of all we have achieved in becoming a trusted household name in every community in Ireland," said Robert Ryan, CEO of Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland.

"Since day one, our goal has been clear: to provide consumers with the highest quality produce at market-leading value, while operating sustainably and creating tangible, positive impacts in the communities we serve.”

“Today, we can clearly see the fruits of our labour with more than 186 stores located in nearly every town right across the country, three distribution centres and our head office in Dublin."

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe praised Lidl for its support of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and its "emergence as one of Ireland’s most desirable employers reflects a deep and lasting commitment to Ireland, our economy and our people. A €997m contribution to the Irish economy in 2024 alone speaks volumes about the scale of their impact.

"We are proud to have Lidl as part of Ireland’s business landscape, and I look forward to their continued success in the years to come.”

Photo: Robert Ryan and Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe. (Pic: Supplied)