Kevin Galvin
Lidl is set to enter the housing market in Kilkenny, with 13 new houses to be sold by the German supermarket chain.
It's part of a new development of their store in the Marble County, which will see a brand new store on the Waterford Road site in the city, as well as the properties, developed on a neighbouring site.
A new store will see a range of features, as well as the new two-storey homes - which will be owned and sold by Lidl on the private market, however no asking price has yet been revealed.
Speaking to Beat News, Jade Kirwin says it's not a first for the company.
"It's a great opportunity to be able to bring additional housing to Kilkenny.
"We have on previous sites in Ballymun we would have developed student accommodation alongside our store there in recent years, and we've also lodged planning in Douglas in Cork for a new store there and eight apartments as part of that proposal.
The site has been in place since 2004, and the latest development sees a brand new store, with more shelf space, wider aisles, and a range of environmentally friendly features.
Speaking to Beat News, Jade Kirwin explains more:
"The store itself is going to be a lot larger, it's going to have more spacious aisles, higher roofs - just to give customers a more comfortable shopping experience.
"There's going to be a larger bakery area - and in terms of sustainability, we have a top-of-the-range energy management system.
"That includes things like roof-mounted solar panel installation, we have electric vehicle charging in the car park, and LED lights in-store."
