LIDL TOASTS 15 YEARS IN NORTHERN IRELAND (@Lidl_ni)

Lidl has much cause for celebration today, Tuesday 20^th May, as it toasts 15 years of business in Northern Ireland.

Since opening its doors in Cookstown on this day in 1999, the supermarket has really made its mark on Northern Ireland boasting 36 stores (and counting!) in key cities and towns across the province and working with over 35 local suppliers.

To mark its 15 years, Lidl has shared 15 surprise facts about Northern Ireland shoppers, the top five include:

1. Northern Ireland prefers coffee to tea – Lidl has recorded sales of over quarter of a million units of coffee since 2013.

2. Custard Creams are Northern Ireland’s favourite biscuit.

3. Jam filled doughnuts from Lidl’s in-store bakery have sold more units than 9,000 other items since the start of 2013 – including popular non-food and promotional ranges!

4. Northern Ireland is a nation of dog lovers – dog food outsells cat food by 250%.

5. Lidl has sold more than twice as many bananas compared to any other fruit or vegetable item.

Marking the 15 year milestone, Paul Gibson, Sales Operations Executive, Lidl Northern Ireland, said,

“We are delighted to be recognised as a trusted local retailer and will continue to build on and grow this trust with Northern Ireland shoppers for the next 15 years and far beyond. While this is a great celebration for Lidl, we also want to take the opportunity to thank Northern Ireland shoppers for choosing Lidl.

“We are continuing to develop the shopping experience at Lidl and due to popular demand invested in the roll-out of in-store bakeries across all stores. It’s an exciting time for us with new store openings and modernisations also on the horizon, so in many ways the Lidl story is only just beginning.”

Join in Lidl’s birthday celebration by visiting the Lidl Northern Ireland Facebook, Facebook.com/LidlNI where each day for 15 days there will be a host of prizes to be won including top hotel stays, shopping vouchers, family day trips and much more.

Lidl’s remaining 10 surprise facts are:

1. Lidl’s ‘Cycling’ theme has been the most popular shopping theme to date.
2. The most sold item is 2L semi skimmed milk.
3. Northern Ireland loves Christmas –Lidl’s three most popular non-food items have been Christmas window stickers, Christmas wrapping paper and a wooden Christmas decoration.
4. Lidl’s own brand Fruit and Nut Muesli is the most commonly eaten breakfast among shoppers.
5. Lidl’s Instant Chicken Noodles are the most popular convenience food.
6. Bread and confectionary are the most popular food groups followed by fruit and vegetables.
7. People in Antrim love Lidl’s in-store bakery – favourites include small white rolls, apple turnovers, jam filled doughnuts and butter croissants.
8. Rich tea biscuits, chocolate ring doughnuts and chocolate digestives are among the most popular guilty treats in Derry~Londonderry.
9. People in Derry~Londonderry are the most romantic having bought more roses than any other Lidl store.
10. Newry has the highest number of ‘Mummy’s Boys’ accounting for the highest sales of mother’s day gifts.