LIDL is set to commence work on its new £6.5 million supermarket in Carryduff.
It marks the first phase in a £10m regeneration plan to revitalise Carryduff Shopping Centre, which has lain derelict for almost seven years.
The retailer has confirmed work will start within two weeks, eight months after securing planning permission for the broader development.
The new store is due to open to the public early next summer.
Built in 1985, Carryduff Shopping Centre lost its anchor tenant Supervalu in 2013.
Smaller outlets left the site as footfall dwindled, with the last business closing up in 2016.
Read more:
- Lidl secures planning permission for new supermarket at Coleraine's Riverside Retail Park
- Lidl's profits down by one third in Northern Ireland amid rising costs
- Lidl to target smaller towns under plans for 25 new stores in Northern Ireland
Lidl bought the site in August 2020.
The supermarket chain’s wider plans for the former retail hub include an additional large 9,000 sq ft retail unit, four smaller units and a drive-thru restaurant or coffee shop.
The grocer expects to create 35 jobs within its new store, with dozens more roles involved in the construction and development phase.
Chris Speers, Lidl’s regional property director said: “The redevelopment of Carryduff Shopping Centre represents a major investment for Lidl Northern Ireland, both in the local community and in our wider retail estate portfolio.
“We’re delighted to be advancing our plans with construction work starting on our exciting plans to create a new, state-of-the-art store that will welcome shoppers right across the area from next year.”
Lidl is also continuing with its store replacement programme across the north.
It secured planning permission to build a new £4.5m store at Coleraine’s Riverside Retail Park last month, while a new store in Strabane is due to open before the end of the year.
