Lidl have officially submitted plans to open up a brand new store next to Rushmere Shopping Centre in Craigavon.
A pre-planning notice and public consultation were run in 2024 and now the food retailer has lodged plans with ABC Council for a new store on the site of the former Sainsbury’s petrol station on Central Way.
The company say the development represents an investment of around £9 million and will create and maintain the equivalent of 40 full time jobs and make a significant contribution to the local economy in terms of salaries and rates payments.
Lidl have had a presence in Craigavon since July 2004, when it opened its existing supermarket on Balteagh Road.
After twenty years of trading, Lidl say its supermarket operation has now outgrown its building and its site is not well located relative to the hub of retail activity within Craigavon’s designated town centre.
Lidl propose to relocate from their existing premises next to Rushmere Shopping Centre which has also undergone a major makeover in the last 24 months.
The site, the retailer says, is a larger, more accessible site with better car parking facilities and greater profile.
The site – as it is currently – for the new Lidl store in Craigavon
The proposed site ceased operation as a petrol filling station when Sainsburys closed their superstore in 2021. The buildings and forecourt are currently in use as a car wash facility.
ABC planners will now consider the application with a decision expected before the summer.
