Lidl spend on Irish agri-foods hits €1bn

Lidl Ireland spent €1 billion on goods from the Irish agri-food industry in 2022, with almost a third of that exported to shops outside the company’s Irish network.

The Supplier Impact Report shows Lidl has more than 400 local suppliers in the Republic. Among the deals were a €20 million contract with Bantry-based Keohane Seafoods, a €15 million contract with Dublin Meat Company and an €8 million deal with Donegal juice and smoothie producer Mulrines.

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Lidl said it spent €682 million on goods destined for its Irish shops, with the remainder going to international shops and giving the Irish produce a platform overseas. Among those were Keohane, whose fresh and frozen Irish seafood is exported to Britain, Germany, Cyprus, Italy and the US. Tipperary’s Honeyvale Foods supplies Irish ham and bacon products to hundreds of Lidl shops in Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Slovenia and Poland.

[ Eoin Burke-Kennedy: Hooray for Ireland’s record food and drink exports – just don’t mention the climate ]

“This record investment is a huge driver of economic growth, and this report demonstrates just how important supplier relationships are not only to the ongoing success of our business, but to the 400-plus local producers that we work with and their employees across the country,” JP Scally, chief executive of Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, said.

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“As we look ahead to this upcoming year, we look forward to nurturing new and fruitful supplier partnerships and supporting even more local businesses to success.”