The retailer made the announcement as part of its 25-year birthday celebrations on Wednesday and an announcement about expanding its presence across NI over the coming years.
Two new stores in Carryduff and on the Boucher Road are set to open this year, while planning applications are ongoing for another four stores in Bangor, Dungannon, Craigavon and Coleraine.
JP Scally, Chief Executive Officer of Lidl Ireland and NI, said the announcement about new stores marked the culmination of the company’s work over the last two-and-a-half decades.
“Since day one, our aim has always been to offer consumers the very best quality produce at market-leading value whilst operating sustainably and delivering tangible impacts for our customers,” he said.
“It gives us real confidence to have gone from just 6.1% five years ago to 9.2% currently in market share.
“I’m very proud of the significant impacts we have delivered for the wider Northern Ireland economy and, importantly, our customers who continue to vote with their feet and chose Lild NI.
“That gives us confidence to continue to invest for the future, which is why we are committing to an additional £150m of investment over the next three years and aiming to grow our store numbers towards 50 stores by 2030.”
The company are celebrating 25 years of business in the country, having opened their first NI store in Cookstown in 1999.
To mark the milestone the retailer announced they have pumped a record £360m into the NI economy last year and a new report they commissioned and carried out by Oxford Economics found the company supported almost 6,900 jobs across NI including 1,300 direct employees, with almost a third of their workforce aged 24 or under, compared with the NI average of just 12%.
It also found Lidl NI’s total gross value added (GVA) contribution from store-based activity boosted the economy by £120m, up 52% from 2018, representing an average growth of 9% annually.
Over the past decade, Lidl’s turnover has increased at an annual average of 11%, reaching a record £492m in 2023/24.
The discount retailer’s market share in NI has also risen from 6.1% in 2019 to 9.2% in 2024.
The company’s recent growth has coincided with a rise in inflation and the cost of living across the UK. Mr Scally acknowledged the two developments are linked.
He said the challenge now was for Lidl NI to retain those customers and build on their support.
“We are a discount retailer, because we are guaranteeing the best value for money on the market, it means that people who are feeling the impact of the weekly shop most are likely to switch to us,” he said.
“New shoppers are coming through our doors because they can see that the same quality, or better quality of produce is available at Lidl for a fraction of the price.
“We have upgraded a number of our stores over the past couple of years. We are in the process of opening new stores as well and the range of a number of products has increased by about 500 over the past four years alone.
“There is more choice; we are giving the customers what they want. We are listening to the customers’ feedback to make sure they are getting what they want.
“We are very confident we’ll keep them and continue to attract new customers as well.”