26 March 2025
By Valerie Ryan
valerie@TheCork.ie
Lidl Ireland has recently re-opened the doors to its improved new Cornmarket Street store following a ten-week closure to facilitate major refurbishment works, transforming the busy city centre store and serving up a premium shopping experience for customers.
With feature walls and high ceilings, wider aisles, two Deposit Return Scheme machines, as well as larger in-store bakery and off licence, Lidl Cornmarket Street shoppers can now enjoy a spacious and modernised store experience.
An expanded checkout area now sees the number of pay points doubled and incorporates a Self-Service Checkout zone for customers paying by card and express tills for both card and cash customers, offering a speedier and simpler checkout experience.
Cutting the ribbon on the revamped store this morning was one of Ireland’s most decorated athletes, All-star and former Cork ladies’ Gaelic football and camogie champion Rena Buckley, who joined the store team to welcome customers and kick off reopening day celebrations.
Lidl Cornmarket underwent major refurbishment works, transforming the busy city centre store and serving up a premium shopping experience for customers. To mark the opening, the team at Lidl Cornmarket have donated €1,000 in Lidl vouchers to local charity Cork Penny Dinners. Lidl Cornmarket STore Team Pic Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision
Cork sporting legend Rena Buckley officially opened Lidl Cornmarket Street store today with Tara O’Connor, Regional Managing Director for Munster at Lidl Ireland and Zoltan Vincze, Lidl Cornmarket Store Manager. Lidl Cornmarket underwent major refurbishment works, transforming the busy city centre store and serving up a premium shopping experience for customers. To mark the opening, the team at Lidl Cornmarket have donated €1,000 in Lidl vouchers to local charity Cork Penny Dinners.Pic Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision
Early bird customers first in line to experience the improved store were rewarded with complimentary Lidl vouchers to spend in-store whilst representatives from local charity Cork Penny Dinners were in attendance to receive a donation of €1,000 in Lidl vouchers from the store team.
Speaking at the reopening, Tara O’Connor, Regional Managing Director for Munster at Lidl Ireland said:
“After more than a decade serving local residents, workers and shoppers here in Cork city centre, I’m thrilled to reopen our doors and welcome customers back to enjoy a refurbished and modernised store.
The Cornmarket Centre is a popular shopping destination and, as a flagship store in the centre, Lidl continues to attract high footfall to the area. I’m pleased that we’ve been able to deliver such a significant transformation project in a short space of time and reopen quickly to continue serving our valued customers. I’d like to thank everyone, including our customers and our neighbours, for their continued patience and support whilst works were ongoing.
As Lidl celebrates 25 years in Ireland this year, it’s fitting that we’re continuing to invest in our Cork store network and upgrade older stores that have served local communities so well. We’re delighted with the new-look store and hope to welcome many more shoppers across our doors in the coming days and weeks.”
Cork sporting legend Rena Buckley said:
“It was a privilege to cut the ribbon on the refurbished Lidl Cornmarket Street store today after what has been an incredible transformation of the store. It’s amazing to see how the space has been remodeled to incorporate new features and provide a better layout for shoppers in what is a busy city centre location. There was a super turnout this morning and I’m sure shoppers will agree the change that the store has undergone in just a couple of months has been fantastic. It’s been a great boost to the area and it’s great to see Lidl continuing to invest in the Cork region.”
Lidl Ireland currently employs more than 6,000 employees in its 184 stores, Head Office in Tallaght and three distribution centres and regional offices based in Charleville, Mullingar, and Newbridge.
In 2024, Lidl procured over €128 million worth of goods and services from over 120 suppliers and business partners across Cork, serving its 22 stores within the county which employ almost 670 team members.
Lidl’s key Cork suppliers include Mallow-based Castlecor Potatoes who have been supplying Lidl with potatoes and onions for 20 years and in the last two years has seen its contract with Lidl grow by a further 20%. Skibbereen-based West Cork Distillers has also upscaled its supply to Lidl, with its best-selling Lidl own brand gin and whiskey products, including Wild Burrow Gin, Wild Burrow Raspberry and Thyme Pink Gin and Dundalgan Irish Whiskey, now exported to 23 countries through Lidl’s extensive international store network.
Lidl Ireland was recently named a ‘Top Employer’ by the Top Employers Institute for the fifth year running. The retailer was also named Most Reputable Retailer and 2nd Most Reputable Company in the 2024 RepTrak Ireland study, and was named Most Sustainable Retailer in Ireland, ranking #3 in the RepTrak® Sustainability Index for 2024.
Lidl’s Cornmarket store will open daily: Monday – Saturday 07.30am – 10:00pm, and Sunday 9:00am – 9:00pm from Thursday 20th March.
Store address: Lidl, Basement Level, Cornmarket Shopping Centre, Cornmarket Street (aka ‘The Coal Kay’) , Cork City, T12 K2XT.