Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Lidl Ireland has announced a multi-million-euro deal with Coolock-based Manning’s Bakery to the value of €10 million which will see the Irish supplier’s award-winning baked goods on the retailer’s shelves in Ireland as well as more than 800 Lidl stores in Europe.

From humble beginnings, the Manning’s family business grew from a small bakery on the steps of Croke Park in the 1950s to developing a long standing relationship with Lidl, and have been supplying the retailer for more than 11 years with customer favourites such as traditional Irish soda bread crafted with Patsy Manning’s homemade recipe – originally developed more than 70 years ago and now available exclusively in Lidl’s 168 stores nationwide.

Supplying Lidl Ireland since 2010, Manning’s was one of the first suppliers to fill Lidl’s fresh bakery shelves when the feature was first added to stores and the success has allowed the family business to develop an additional new state-of-the-art 5,000sq metre production facility in recent years. 35 of the Mannings’ 250 employees are dedicated solely to develop and produce products for Lidl and Manning’s has also invested in purpose-built equipment to produce the retailer’s bestselling baked goods.

Following the great success Manning’s has seen with Lidl’s Irish customers, the retailer has now confirmed a €10 million deal for Manning’s that will see its much-loved artisan breads, tarts and cakes available in stores across the Irish Sea. The new deal with Lidl Great Britain and Lidl Northern Ireland has had a significantly positive impact on Mannings’ operations, with the bakery now delivering to 13 of Lidl’s regional distribution centres 5 days a week across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Speaking about the new deal, Eamon Manning, Chief Executive Officer, Manning’s Bakery, commented: “Our partnership with Lidl has continuously grown over the past 11 years, and as a family business we are extremely grateful for the many opportunities the team have made possible for us including this substantial new contract to supply Lidl Great Britain and Lidl Northern Ireland. We look forward to developing more unique artisan products for Lidl’s customers across the island and beyond for many years to come.”

“Building long-standing relationships with our supplier network is a win-win for our business,” said Gary Murray, Head of Buying at Lidl Ireland. “Not only do our customers benefit from high quality, delicious products but we also help our suppliers build efficiencies and economies of scale which means we can also offer the best prices on the market.”

CAPTION:

Pictured are: Eamon Manning, Chief Executive Officer, Manning’s Bakery; customer assistant, Olga Orzekauskiene; and Gary Murray, Head of Buying at Lidl Ireland.