Lidl will open the doors to its 8th discount supermarket in Luxembourg tomorrow, Wednesday 17 February, on Route d'Arlon in Strassen.
At a press conference on Tuesday morning, the chain announced that another 12 supermarkets will be opened over the next 7 years, creating an additional 150 jobs in the process (173 currently employed) from an investment of €100 million. The 9th store - since the first one opened in 2001 (in Differdange) - is due to be opened in Beggen on 23 March this year (1,285 m2; 85 parking spaces), with others planned for Esch-sur-Alzette, Foetz, Dudelange and Howald. Three of the existing Lild supermarkets will be renovated within this period too.
The Strassen store is in a new purpose-built construction offering a sales surface of 1,000 m2 on the 1st floor which is bright and modern, with parking for 70 cars both outdoors and under the 1st floor store. It opens its doors seven days/week, Mon-Fri 08:00 - 20:00; Sun 09:00 - 13:00.
The Director General of Lidl Belgium and Luxembourg, Boudewijn Van Den Brand, spoke at the opening and stressed that the store offers fresh bread (baked on-site) and fruit, fish, meat and much more, ideal for family shopping. He added that the opening of new Lidl stores across the Grand Duchy will be at a rate of two per year over the next six years.
Peter Issac, Director of Sales and Logistics at Lidl, explained the chain's ideology of "smart discounter of health and vitality", with many product ranges being 100% Luxembourg-sourced, including eggs, flour and beer, as well as many other ranges having certain Luxembourgish produce stocked too, including wine. Each store has 14-20 staff members.
Mr Greiveldinger, Mayor of Strassen, said that he was very happy indeed to welcome to welcome the prestigious brand to the Strassen municipality which has a population of around 9,000 inhabitants representing numerous nationalities, with thousands of motorists passing through daily too. He acknowledged that discussions on the Lidl store in Strassen started back in 2009.
Luxembourg's Minister for Economy and Deputy Prime Minister, Etienne Schneider, stated he is delighted with the investment by Lidl in Luxembourg and the creation of jobs. He referred to the current population of Luxembourg being 563,000, with another 162,000 cross-border workers coming every day. He also referred to the growth of the economy and the Nation Branding initiative to promote the country abroad.
The formal part of the opening was concluded by a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Photos by Geoff Thompson (below): Minister Etienne Schneider
