Lidl today renewed its commitment to a growth target of having 1,000 UK stores by 2023, despite disruption to construction during the pandemic.
The discounter plans to open 25 stores in the next six months, creating up to 1,000 jobs by the end of the year.
That will be followed by 100 new stores in 2021 and 2022, creating around 4,000 jobs in a £1.3bn investment plan.
Lidl currently has 13 distribution centres, more than 800 stores and about 25,000 employees in England, Scotland and Wales.
Its renewed expansion target comes as other retailers such as Poundstretcher plan for shop closures and job losses.
Rival discounter Aldi also has an ambitious growth target of 1,200 stores by the end of 2025, up from about 870 currently.
Lidl said its 25 stores opening in the second half of this year would be across England, Scotland and Wales. Locations due to gain a store in the coming weeks include Selhurst, Harrow Weald, Coleford and Llandudno Junction.
“It is testament to the continued hard work of our colleagues that we are able to continue forging ahead with our expansion plans, despite the challenging circumstances that have been faced over the past months,” said Lidl GB CEO Christian Härtnagel.
“I am incredibly grateful to all Lidl teams for their unwavering commitment to keeping the nation fed, and we very much look forward to welcoming more people into the Lidl family in the weeks and months ahead.
“Families up and down the country rely on Lidl for affordable, high-quality groceries. With the pandemic affecting household finances, our mission to offer value to as many people as possible is more important than ever and is why we remain committed to our store opening programme. With new Lidl stores opening every month, we are offering more communities the opportunity to shop for our great-quality products at Lidl prices.”
Lidl is one of the highest-paying supermarkets, with a minimum hourly rate of £10.75 inside the M25 and £9.30 across the rest of the UK.
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