NEWBRIDGE: 21 May 2001: by Brian Byrne. Supermarket competition will hot up in Newbridge from a month's time, when the continent-based Lidl group open their new store in the shopping centre (above) developed by local businessman Tom Treacy.
Mr Treacy confirmed to KNN that the new store has received all its permissions and work by Lidl is well underway and expected to be completed by July.
The group already has a growing number of stores in Ireland, including Longford, Mullingar, and Portlaoise. Its national distribution centre is already based in Newbridge, on the industrial estate behind Wyeth.
KNN has spoken to a number of shoppers in Newbridge who already travel to Portlaoise to buy at Lidl, where they claim significant savings can be made compared to the established supermarkets.
Meanwhile, the new store for Tesco in Newbridge (below), being developed by another local businessman, Dermot Cox, is rapidly nearing completion. The older store nearby, when vacated by Tesco, is to be turned into a giant DIY store.
With the arrival in Newbridge of other major electrical and home products stores over the last two years, there has been increased pressure on local established businesses both in Newbridge itself and in the county town, Naas. The upcoming arrival of Lidl is likely to increase this pressure, and with Newbridge fast becoming the true shopping town of mid-Kildare, Naas is likely to become a town of boutiques and small newsagents, with its increasing resident numbers opting to do their major shopping in Newbridge or in the major shopping centres on the periphery of Dublin.
©2001brianbyrne/knn