Discount retailer Lidl wants to celebrate its 30th year in Great Britain in style by opening not just a handful of new stores or a couple dozen.
Lidl says it wants to open hundreds.
Fueled by its recent investments in infrastructure, including its new warehouse in Luton, the fast-growing supermarket chain wants to expands further by “doubling down on its commitment to making good food accessible to everyone.”
Lidl wants to extend its reach in big cities such as Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, and London, and smaller towns from Woking and Wadebridge to Dumfries and Didcot.
“We’re planning to open hundreds of new Lidl stores but ultimately see no ceiling on our ambition or growth potential,” says Richard Taylor, Chief Development Officer for Lidl GB. “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 already poised to open new supermarkets in from Bristol, Birmingham and Berwick in Scotland this year with major expansion planned for London and specifically new stores in Wandsworth, Fulham, Hoxton and Canning Town.
“We have been the fastest growing bricks and mortar supermarket for the past seven months in a row,’ Taylor says. “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.”
In addition to Luton, Lidl has completed an extension on its Welsh distribution centre in Bridgend, and is nearly finished updating its Belvedere warehouse expansion, which will double in capacity. In stores, it is adding more electronic shelf labels.
Lidl’s move up the market share charts has mirrored Aldi’s. While still a touch below, future expansion might mean Lidl will closat the gap. It currently sits at 8%.
Like Lidl, Aldi announced it is looking for new sites as well – giving traditional brick and mortars more to worry about. Aldi, the cheapest supermarket again this month in the UK according to Which? data, noted that an average shop for the same items in their stores is about 31 pounds cheaper than Waitrose.
