Lanarkshire’s newest supermarket is to open its doors next Thursday, November 24.
The new branch of Lidl, at Carlisle Road in Airdrie, is the firm’s seventh store in North Lanarkshire and is to create up to 40 jobs.
Its opening date has been confirmed by an advertising campaign in the town; and completes the transformation of a former distillery warehousing site beside Airdrie's football stadium.
Lidl first submitted an application to construct the Airdrie branch – plus a further retail unit and a drive-thru restaurant at the location – in August 2020, with planning permission being granted five months later.
With former site occupiers Distell International relocating to a new £15 million facility in East Kilbride late last year, work began with the demolition of the historic warehouses at a location which previously housed a bus garage, a wartime base making aircraft parts and later a telecoms factory.
The advertised November 24 date for the new supermarket is also confirmed online as the end of a 19-month construction period on a map of works maintained by the industry’s Considerate Constructors Scheme.
Related roadworks have been taking place along the busy A73 main road alongside the site for the past three months, with a 10mph speed limit now in place until Sunday while final carriageway resurfacing is completed.
New accesses to the retail development have been created and bus stops relocated – while roundabouts have been installed to improve the problematic staggered crossroads junctions with Craigneuk Avenue and South Biggar Road.
Each of the two side roads has been closed for five days in turn to put the new roundabouts in place, which will both have a dedicated right-turn lane to improve traffic flow; while a new pedestrian crossing and widened pavements are also being put in place.
Meanwhile, Lidl is also currently running a toy drive at its stores, asking customers to donate new and unopened items which will be distributed through its existing link with giving platform Neighbourly.
Donations can be made at the supermarket’s branches until December 16, and will then be collected by partner charities including food banks and community centres who are participating in Lidl’s “feed it back” food distribution scheme.