Lidl

Lidl has announced it will open 25 new stores across England, Scotland and Wales by the end of the year, amounting to one per week on average.

The discounter said it is “committed to fulfilling its ambitious store opening programme”, which will create up to 1,000 new jobs, “despite disruption to construction amid the coronavirus pandemic”.

In the coming weeks Lidl will open stores in Selhurst, Harrow Weald, Coleford and Llandudno Junction.

In addition, the retailer’s £1.3 billion investment plans for 2021 and 2022 will drive the opening of 100 additional stores across the UK, creating around 4,000 jobs. By the end of 2023, it aims to have 1,000 UK stores.

Lidl GB chief executive Christian Härtnagel said: “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.

“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.”

The announcement follows the opening of new stores during the pandemic in locations such as Birmingham, Torquay and London, with the supermarket chain also creating over 2,500 temporary jobs during lockdown to support existing teams.

Eyeing further expansion, the retailer recently published a site requirements brochure, detailing all the areas in Britain that it is considering for new stores, including Winchester, Didsbury and Cardiff city centre.

Lidl pays its staff £9.30 per hour outside London and £10.75 within the M25, which is higher than the Government’s National Living Wage, and is one of the highest pay rates in the supermarket sector.

Since establishing itself in the UK in 1994, Lidl has enjoyed continuous growth and today has over 25,000 employees, 800 stores and 13 distribution centres in England, Scotland and Wales.

Part of the Schwarz retail group, Lidl is one of Europe’s leading food retail companies. With a presence in 32 countries, the supermarket chain has more than 287,000 employees globally and currently operates around 10,800 stores. It has more than 160 distribution centres in 29 countries.

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