Lidl to open hundreds of stores across the country

Lidl has announced plans to open hundreds of stores across the country, as the supermarket retailer celebrates 30 years of trading in the UK.

Over the coming months, Lidl is set to welcome shoppers to new stores in cities such as Bristol, Birmingham, and Berwick, Scotland. In London alone, the retailer will be opening stores in Wandsworth, Fulham, Hoxton, and Canning Town.

This follows a year of significant investment into Lidl’s infrastructure, during which the retailer opened its largest-ever warehouse in Luton. It has also completed an extension to its Welsh distribution centre in Bridgend, as well as made significant progress with its Belvedere warehouse expansion which, upon completion, will result in its size and capacity being doubled.

The announcement comes as Lidl publishes its list of target locations for potential new stores, with the discounter eyeing major growth in cities such as Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, and London, as well as smaller towns.

Richard Taylor, Lidl GB chief development officer, said: “Having fortified our infrastructure with significant investments like Luton, which is the largest warehouse in the Lidl world, we’re proud to have achieved record market share this month. We have also been the fastest growing bricks and mortar supermarket for the past seven months in a row. With an exceptional store network and our laser focus on operational excellence, we’re welcoming more customers through our doors than ever before, which positions us perfectly for continued expansion.

“As we celebrate our 30th year, our commitment to ensuring that all households across the country have access to high quality produce at affordable prices is stronger than ever. We’re planning to open hundreds of new Lidl stores but ultimately see no ceiling on our ambition or growth potential. This is why we’re continuing to invest in new locations whilst exploring innovative routes to expansion. As we look ahead, we’re excited to welcome even more new shoppers to our existing stores, as well as those we’re planning to open across the country in the coming months and years.”

Lidl is offering a finders fee of either 1.5% of the total freehold purchase price, or 10% of the first year’s rent for leaseholds to agents that successfully identify a site.

The retailer is looking for sites in prominent locations with easy access and strong pedestrian or traffic flow, with at least 1.5 acres of space for a standalone store and up to four acres for mixed-use schemes. Ideal sites should allow for unit sizes between 18,000 and 26,500 sq ft and over 100 dedicated car parking spaces. Lidl will consider freehold, leasehold or long leasehold opportunities.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Lidl was looking to raise £91.1m as part of plans to build 12 new stores.