WHERE WILL "LIDL" MARKETS BE LOCATED IN BANJA LUKA?

The German company Lidl plans to open a chain of retail stores in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the end of next year, with as many as six of them expected to be in the largest city of Republika Srpska, Banja Luka.

PHOTO: Buduća lokacija "Lidl" marketa / CAPITAL

According to CAPITAL, the company has currently secured only one location in Banja Luka, while negotiations for the others are still ongoing.

"This store will be across from the large Centrum shopping mall, on land owned by the Catholic monastery of Petrićevac. A construction permit for this location should be issued soon," said a source from CAPITAL.

As for the other locations, the source explained that the intermediaries hired by Lidl have found several suitable sites, and business negotiations are underway.

"Negotiations are nearing completion for a store at the site of the former Motel Internacional in the Lazarevo neighborhood, while talks with the owner of the Audi service center in the Borik area have failed. There were discussions to relocate the auto service and build a Lidl store on that site," the source added.

The company is also interested in a location in the Ada neighborhood, near the Tropik shopping market, though official negotiations with the landowners have not yet begun.

"Lidl plans to open all its stores in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the end of 2026. While the plan is to have six stores in Banja Luka, the current situation is such that the company would be satisfied if three stores are open within the planned timeframe, with a fourth in preparation. Locations for the remaining two stores will be sought later," explained the source.

Regarding the Republic of Srpska, the source added that agreements have already been reached for store openings in Laktaši, Gradiška, Prnjavor, Doboj, Zvornik, two in Bijeljina, and Trebinje.

"This does not mean Lidl will not expand to other communities, but rather that locations have already been secured in these cities," the source concluded.