New Lidl in Ballymahon on track to open later this year

Lidl Ireland said construction work on its new store in Ballymahon is "progressing well" with the supermarket on course to open before the end of this year.

The foodstore, with off-licence sales, is being constructed on a site at Main Street/Church View backlands in Ballymahon, including the rear of the former St Matthew's National School, Nally Tyres/Circle K, and adjoining lands.

The new store is expected to deliver up to 25 full-time jobs when operational.

Construction began in the Spring of this year, and although Lidl Ireland would not be drawn on a specific opening date, it said it expects shoppers to be coming through the doors in 2025.

"Lidl is delighted to confirm that construction is progressing well at our site in Ballymahon, and we look forward to delivering a new store before the end of 2025," a company spokesperson told the Westmeath Independent this week. The company declined to comment on when the staff recruitment process would be getting underway.

The supermarket chain was granted planning permission for the development, subject to 20 conditions, in December of last year.

In its planning application, Lidl said that, when operational, the Ballymahon store would "generate in the order of €1.2 million per annum locally" in wages to staff.

It said this sum was in addition to "further jobs created or supported indirectly and other construction stage employment, in the order of €3 million in construction wages alone".

The store is due to span 2,291 square metres in gross floor space, with a net retail sales area of 1,489 sq metres.

The retail chain said in its planning application that the development would provide a "growing" Ballymahon area with "an enhanced and competitive retail offer, alongside the existing SuperValu anchor in the town, serving the community with an appropriate level of food shopping facilities, currently absent".