Lidl headquarters, with 320 staff, will be boost for the South Dublin economy
By Mary Dennehy
THE 320 people working at Lidl’s head office in Kildare will move to the German discount giant’s new state-of-the-art, open plan office on Main Road, Tallaght, from April 8.
Last week the retailer invited a number of residents and local businesses, including The Echo, on a tour of the four-storey, window-laden building – which is an innovative and first-time move for Lidl, steered by its Irish team.
The new Irish Lidl HQ has gathered a lot of interest from Lidl management Europe-wide, as the spacious, concept building in Tallaght veers away from the retailer’s traditional use of smaller offices – rather than a dedicated, built-for-purpose building.
Bright, spacious and communal, the open plan HQ, which will be paper-free, has a staff canteen, gym, coffee stations on each of the four floors, communal work spaces and a terrace garden – which enjoys spectacular views of Tallaght and the mountains that overlook it.
Aoife Clarke, Lidl’s Head of Public Relations, said: “The building has been designed to encourage and facilitate more extensive collaboration among the teams that are offering support to 183 stores in Ireland.
“Lidl engaged the services of specialist office design consultants who worked with a representative staff group to ensure the building was able to accommodate the needs of all departments.”
She added: “Lidl looks forward to relocating to Tallaght and becoming part of the local community.
“The influx of 320 staff will mean a boost for the local economy as many of the team will shop in local businesses and use various amenities in the area.”
As part of development on the site, Lidl is also working on a new concept store for Tallaght village – which will see the existing Lidl store move to the far side of the car park.
If planning is granted, the development will include the introduction of retail units where the existing Lidl store lies – with the discount retailer hoping that the development will offer customers “a new enhanced shopping experience”.
Construction work on the €34 million HQ started in March 2014 after South Dublin County Council granted permission for the significant development.
Over the years, residents have voiced their concerns over the development – lodging a number of observations concerning traffic, building density, height and their homes being overlooked.
However, this week, resident Jim O’Connor said: “We are feeling good now in relation to the building.
“Lidl had pre-planning meetings with us and post-planning meetings, they engaged in consultations with us and it seems like they took our observations into consideration.
“They took a big block away and also moved the building back from the road and moved the pocket park forward – which will not only look better but means it can be accessed by the community.
“It is a very ultra-modern building, very different than what we had in my day, but residents feel positive about the building now and see it as a positive development for the village.”
Lidl’s 320 HQ staff will move into the new building in two phases starting on April 8, with Lidl confirming that there is adequate street level and underground car parking to accommodate the work force.
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