Retailer said move will give UK growers the financial stability they need to scale up, innovate
Lidl GB has committed to sourcing £500mn of British berries over the next five years as demand for home-grown berries continues to soar.
The supermarket said the investment will help growers to invest confidently in their operations in the face of rising production costs and increasingly unpredictable weather, while enabling it to build on last last year’s record-breaking growth in British berry sales.
Richard Bourns, chief commercial officer of Lidl GB, called the move “a £500mn vote of confidence in British berry growers”.
“By extending our long-term agreements, we’re providing the security suppliers need to build a resilient future,” he said.
“It is our clear ambition to be the first-choice partner for British growers. By building a framework providing long-term security, we enable our growers to confidently invest, innovate and scale alongside us.
“And by investing in these partnerships we are making fresh, healthy produce more accessible to our customers – offering the best British berries at unbeatable prices.”
Lidl’s sales of British blueberries have increased by more than 200 per cent over the past three years, making it one of the country’s fastest-growing fruit categories. Sales of British-grown blackberries grew by almost 93 per cent over the same period, while volumes of Lidl’s Deluxe Blush Strawberries increased by 50 per cent last year.
According to Nick Marston, chairman of British Berry Growers, Lidl’s British berry volumes increased from around 11,500 tonnes in 2023 to more than 15,700 tonnes in 2025, representing growth of more than 36 per cent in two seasons. He said the retailer now accounts for around 12.6 per cent of all British berry tonnage sold through British Berry Growers members.
