DISCOUNT retailer Lidl opened its first city centre store in Northern Ireland yesterday with the help of actress Bronagh Waugh and Belfast's Lord Mayor, Nichola Mallon.
After only a few hours, the new High Street store was already buzzing with early morning shoppers - all eager to snap up £5,000 worth of shopping vouch-ers and share in the free food samples organised as part of the fanfare opening.
Paul Gibson, sales operations executive, Lidl Northern Ireland, said he was extremely happy with the positive public response on the first morning of trading in what is Lidl's 38th store in the north.
The modern, new-look store is part of a £30 million expansion programme for the retailer which has seen its market share jump by almost 10 per cent during the last 12 months.
Lidl High Street, which has created 15 jobs and boasts an innovative baking facility for artisan breads, is one of six stores serving the population of Belfast.
Its opening comes only a month after the second Lidl outlet opened in Lisburn and before stores in Larne and Coleraine re-open ahead of Christmas following £1m refurbishment projects.
"Having celebrated 15 years in business this year, Lidl Northern Ireland is committed to working with more than 35 local suppliers from right across Northern Ireland, many of them household names such as Linden Foods, Moy Park and Dunbia," Mr Gibson said.
"Significantly, 47 per cent of all grocery sales in Lidl's stores across Ireland are generated from products sourced from southern Irish and Northern Irish suppliers, producers and manufacturers."
Adding a touch of glamour to the shopping aisles at yesterday's official launch, Waugh, currently starring in BBC crime drama The Fall, declared herself an enthusiastic Lidl shopper and said she was "delighted" to be part of the official opening.
"I am delighted to be back in Belfast and I love shopping in Lidl, so it's a treat to be able to film and shop at the same time," she said.
"It's also great to be able to smile and wear make-up - I didn't get to do either when filming for The Fall."