Laytown News Aldi propose to open new store in Laytown, County Meath People signed the petition to make this a reality

 

35,054 People have now signed my petition to have ALDI & LIDL opened in Drogheda

James O Neill outside the new Lidl store at the M1 Retail Park Drogheda

Lidl discount store officially opened last Thursday in Drogheda.

I would like to offer my warmest thanks to everybody who signed my petition to bring discount stores to Drogheda. Now the people of the town have real choice as to where they can shop. Competition unshackles us from the yoke of monopolization by encouraging fair product value. It increases the selection and range of products on offer. It also adds valuable employment to the town.

People frequently stop me about town and congratulate me for the work I have done to get a Lidl stores into Drogheda. Some even called me "A hero of the people". While it brings a smile to my face I certainly do not see myself as hero. It was necessity that motivated me to start this petition. I am a single parent and like most single parents and pensioners, I find myself almost defensively trying to manage the escalating weekly grocery bill on a low income. Yes, I set about the petition because of necessity.

It was very hard for me to rationalize how other towns, smaller that Drogheda could have discount stores. It didn't make sense that I could shop in Balbriggan and after paying travel costs I could still save money.

One day I decided to act. I set about the petition to get the views of the people of the Drogheda. Basically I just wanted to see if others felt the same way as I did.

It started with five A4 sheets of paper with 25 lines on each page. To my surprise, I filled the five sheets in ten minutes and had to get more photocopies done. People were so supportive. Numerous asked for copies so they could get their family and friends to sign. Even The Drogheda Independent, always a staunch community supporter, agreed to allow their town centre office to be a post-box for returning petition sheets.

I remember on my second day a woman I had never met before came up to me and gave me eight clipboards and a hand full of pens. She only said one thing to me “the town needs more people like you”. Mrs. Helen W you are a friend for life.

Things just snowballed from that day on. People were queuing to sign. It was a nice knowing that I was not alone. In all 17,054 people signed, nearly half the town.

That was almost two years ago. Now we have three discount stores Aldi and Lidl on the north side of town and another Lidl store on the south side of the town. Aldi are also planning to open a second store on the south side.

“So what did you get out of this” is a question I occasionally get asked. Well that’s sure easy to answer. The same opportunity as everybody else in the town, I can shop where I choose and I usually save about €40 a week.

Another frequent question is “how can these stores sell the food so cheap?” My answer to this question is to say that you are asking the wrong question. You should ask, “how can the other stores justify what they charge?”

My sincere thanks to the people of Drogheda for their support and for making this happen

James O Neill founder of www.Solo.ie offering Support to People Parenting Alone

Drogheda Lidl store at the old Tellabs

	29th June 2006 This was a great day as Drogheda first Aldi discount stores open its doors The store was packed all day and broken all opening records for Aldi which just goes to show that the town is in need of more Aldi and Lidl discount stores. Well done all at Aldi

This is what 17,054 signatures look like. The petition has now been lodged with An Boad Pleanala. All we can do now is wait till December 16th 2005 to see if we get our Lidl Store for Drogheda. You can still sign our petition, you can still put emphasize on you local RGDATA members to have them remove their appeal against Lidl from opening. Shop in non-RGDATA members store!

Tell the Councillors
We want our Discount Stores

This is the face of RGDATA that saying you can't shop at Discount Stores
in Drogheda.
Tell them how you feel about this. Sign the petition and write a comment.

RGDATA =All of the following:
Supervalu /Spar /Euro Spar/Centra /Londis /Mace
and Cost Cutters are all local members of this organisation.

RGDATA DOING IT AGAIN
NO Lidl for Drogheda

Read some of the comments
make on our petition

It’s time to stop talking about RIP OFF IRELAND
do your LIDL bit and sign our petition NOW

Why didn't Tara Buckley (RGDATA) know about this Supervalu store in Clonmell
or Supervalu store Lakeland Retail Park, Cavan or Supervalu store West Manor Retail Park, Tralee
or Supervalu store, The Rath Mor Centre, Derry.
Did RGDATA make any appeals against planning permission for any of these stores?
Has it anything got to do with fact that they are all RGDATA members?????

Who is RGDATA trying to fool? This isn’t anything got to do with planning permission, this is about looking after their club members profits!

It’s time to vote with your feet to get RGDATA to remove their appeal against a LIDL Store opening in the Drogheda area.

Tell your local CLUB MEMBERS how you feel about this. They are Supervalu, Spar, Euro Spar, Centra, Londis, Mace and Cost Cutters

It’s time to stop talking about RIP OFF IRELAND let's do something about it.

It’s time to show these CLUB MEMBERS we what our LIDL Store.

It’s time to hit these CLUB MEMBERS where it hurts their pockets!

Is it time to start running buses to Balbriggan or Ashbourne like in olden day to Newry.

Local People Say Yes!     Planners Say Yes!     Councilors Say Yes

But RGDATA Say NO WAY!