Aldi: has acquired a site in north Dublin

German discount retailer Aldi has acquired a 1.25 acre site in Portmarnock in north Dublin for about €5m. The company is planning to open a discount foodstore on the site, which is adjacent to the White Sands Hotel, and to have 75 parking spaces for customers. A number of buildings on the site will be demolished to make way for the development.

Aldi and fellow German discount retailer Lidl are both expanding aggressively as shoppers look for value. Aldi has more than 50 stores here with several more under construction or in the planning process. It recently told Fingal County Council that excluding its discount store offering from areas where convenience retailers are permitted "is inequitable and a direct interference in the retail market".