Rapid rise of German retailers surprises some

Lidl opened its first set of Irish stores 17 years ago. At the time the head of retail group, RGDATA said that Lidl were catering for a ‘niche market’.

“Lidl will be selling brands that Irish people wouldn’t know and their range is limited ...so I can’t really see Lidl surviving in rural towns.”

Fast forward to today and the store where the model is built on ‘no frills, cheap and convenient’ now has 150 outlets in Ireland.