RGDATA slows down Aldi and Lidl expansion plans

The Retail Grocery Dairy and Allied Trades Association (RGDATA) has temporarily put the brakes on German discounters Aldi and Lidl further expanding in Ireland.

The representative association for over 4,000 independent family-owned retailers has appealed two local authority planning permission decisions to An Bord Pleanála, which had given the go-ahead for a new Aldi store at Graiguenamanagh in Co Kilkenny and a new Lidl outlet at Drogheda, Co Louth.

In respect of the Drogheda plan, which involves Lidl demolishing its existing store and replacing it with a two- storey supermarket, Tara Buckley of RGDATA has told An Bord Pleanála that the development will not act as a complimentary hub, but will draw trade from a wider catchment area and have a significant impact on the viability and vitality of Drogheda town centre.