More than a Lidl difference as store reopens
A LIDL store which was demolished by looters during Storm Emma has reopened.
A stolen digger was used to smash through the Lidl in Fortunestown, in South Dublin, in March and looters then stole all they could carry from the store. Video footage of the raid later went viral around the world.
Lidl Ireland yesterday reopened a new, multi-million shop in place of the old, ruined building.
The newly rebuilt Lidl, which took four months to complete, has increased in size by 70%.
The new store also boasts twice as many parking spaces, additional tills, and wider shopping aisles, as well as a new training room for staff.
Following the damage to the store earlier this year, all of the staff at Fortunestown were redeployed to other Lidl stores in the area. The entire employee team, along with nine new recruits, have now returned to the shop.
‘On behalf of the entire store team, I’d like to extend our thanks to our loyal customer base in Fortunestown for their level of support over the past few months,’ Ruth Shanley, Fortunestown store manager said.
The temporary closure of the store was a great loss to the local community, and local resident Mags Purtill said that everyone in the area is delighted to see it reopen.
The mother-of-four told the Irish Daily Mail that the closure was difficult for people in the area.
‘It’s quite expensive in the bigger retailers… Lidl was great on the money-saving end of things,’ she said.
‘It was really hard for the older folk as well, they had a lot more struggles I think than we did. We were better able to manage going back and forward, but it was very hard for them.’ After visiting the new shop yesterday, she said: ‘It’s great as well because you get to meet a lot of the locals, a lot of familiar faces when you’re shopping.’
In March, ten men appeared at Dublin District Court for their alleged role in the looting at the Lidl and a nearby Centra shop. Six were released on bail and the remaining three were remanded in custody.