Major cities where Lidl wants to expand includes Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool and London, while it also wants to open new stores in towns from Didcot to Woking
Lidl has announced plans to open hundreds of new stores, in a major expansion that will create thousands of new jobs.
The budget supermarket has published its latest wish list of locations for potential new stores, as well as relocations of existing stores. Major cities where Lidl wants to expand includes Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool and London, while it also wants to open new stores in towns from Didcot to Woking.
For example, Lidl wants to open or relocate 56 shops in the North East of England and Cumbria, while it is also eyeing up 64 new sites in Central South England. In Scotland, there are 67 places on the Lidl wish list. You can see the full list of regions where Lidl wants to open or relocate stores here:
- Scotland – 67 locations
- North East England and Cumbria – 56 locations
- Yorkshire and Humberside – 78 locations
- Greater Manchester, East Lancashire, Calderdale and High Peak – 89 locations
- North Wales, Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire West – 71 locations
- Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire East – 78 locations
- South-Mid Wales – 46 locations
- Central England – 86 locations
- East England – 82 locations
- Bristol, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, North and East Somerset and Mendips – 34 locations
- Northern Home Counties – 73 locations
- London North West – 78 locations
- London North East – 78 locations
- London South – 91 locations
- South and West Somerset, Devon and Cornwall – 34 locations
- Central South England – 64 locations
- Kent, East Sussex, East Surrey – 59 locations
If a site is successfully identified, Lidl will pay a finders’ fee of either 1.5% of the total freehold purchase price, or 10% of the first year’s rent for leaseholds, which would equate to £22,500 for a completed £1.5million site purchase. Lidl is looking for sites in “prominent locations with easy access and strong pedestrian or traffic flow” with 1.5+ acres for a standalone store and up to four acres for mixed-use schemes. Sites should allow for unit sizes between 18,000 and 26,500 sq ft and over 100 dedicated car parking spaces.
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.”