Lidl has published its latest wish list of new store locations while reaffirming its ambition to open in hundreds of new sites across the UK.
The discounter is offering a finder’s 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 £1.5m site purchase – to anyone who can identify a suitable site.
Lidl currently has over 960 stores and is planning to open new ones in Bristol, Birmingham and Berwick in the coming months.
In London, where it has grown to be the third-largest supermarket, with double the market share of any other discounter, it is planning to open new branches in Wandsworth, Fulham, Hoxton and Canning Town.
Lidl’s new spring 2024 site requirements brochure lists hundreds of desired further locations across the country as it eyes expansion in cities including Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool and London.
Lidl opened 25 new UK stores in 2023, a slowdown from its previous expansion rate of about 50 a year, as it diverted investment to expanding its distribution capacity. In September, it opened a 1.2 million sq ft distribution centre in Luton, its largest in the world and first to use automation.
Read more: Lidl opens its own bottling plant in Derby to supply its GB stores
Last year also saw Lidl complete an extension to its Welsh distribution centre in Bridgend.
The discounter has been the fastest-growing bricks & mortar supermarket for seven months in a row, according to Kantar. Its sales were up 9.1% year on year in the 12 weeks to 14 April, leaving its market at 8%, up from 7.6% a year earlier.
Aldi’s growth in the same 12 weeks had slowed to 2.8% year on year, against total market growth of 4.3%. Its market share was 10%, down slightly from 10.1% a year earlier.
Read more: What has happened to Aldi’s stratospheric growth story?
“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,” said Lidl GB chief development officer Richard Taylor.
“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.
“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’s site requirements brochure says it is aiming for “over 1,100 sites across Great Britain” but does not say by when.
No comments yet