Lidl unveils £500m plan to expand UK store estate

(Sharecast News) - German owned discount supermarket retail chain Lidl on Monday unveiled plans to invest £500m and open more than 40 new UK stores in the current financial year as it looks to capitalise on government reforms to planning laws. Lidl, which employs 35,000 staff at more than 980 stores and 14 distribution centres in England, Scotland and Wales, also published a site requirements brochure listing hundreds locations where it is looking to open new stores.

The chain is looking at high street, retail park, and mixed-use town centre sites.

"This level of investment is a clear sign of our ambition," said Richard Taylor, chief real estate officer at Lidl GB.

"As we enter our fourth decade in Great Britain and hurtle towards 1,000 stores, there are still so many parts of the country crying out for convenient access to a Lidl store."

"That's why we welcome the measures proposed in the Government's Planning and Infrastructure Bill - they recognise the urgent need to remove barriers to development and support the kind of growth we at Lidl are working towards."

Part of the Schwarz retail group, Lidl has around 375,000 employees globally and currently operates more than 12,350 stores and 225 logistics centres and warehouses in 31 countries.

Family-owned Schwarz Group generated €167.2bn in revenue in fiscal 2023.