Lidl eyes up town for new store

SUPERMARKET chain Lidl is offering a “finder’s fee” to anyone who can identify a site for a new store – and Ashbourne is among the towns it has set its sights on.

Bosses say they want to keep up the current pace of opening one store per week, and to build the business’s national portfolio to 1,100 by the end of 2025.

The firm has published a list of 13 Derbyshire towns and villages it is eyeing up, and offering people a cut of the purchase price or rental value if they can identify a new location.

Ashbourne, Hilton, Matlock and Bakewell are among the Derbyshire settlements Lidl wants to consider for a new store and, already this year, 23 new supermarkets have been opened across the country.

The finder’s fee is either 1.5% of the total freehold purchase price or 10% of first year’s rent for leaseholds, which would equate to £22,500 for a completed £1.5m site purchase.

Richard Taylor, chief development officer at Lidl GB, said: “We know that the majority of British shoppers still love doing their shopping in person and we are as committed as ever to opening new stores and enhancing our existing ones.

“We’re opening an average of one new store a week, which is incredible, and our teams have done a phenomenal job of keeping that pace going over the last couple of years.

“But there are still communities up and down the country that are telling us how much they want – and need - a Lidl store.

“We work with some of the best people in the industry to identify new sites, but we also know how engaged our future and existing customers are and we want to build on this.

“Our finder’s fees are, therefore, available to absolutely anyone that can identify a viable option for a new store that we’re not already aware of, and we welcome any suitable suggestions that will help up us to meet our ambitious target of 1,100 stores by the end of 2025.”

Lidl already has a store in Uttoxeter, one in Leek, six in Derby and two in Burton-on-trent.

Other places in the current Derbyshire wish-list include Allestree or Oakwood, Breaston, Borrowash or Spondon, Heanor, Ilkeston, Mickleover, Littleover, Sinfin and Somercotes.

Members of the public who know of potential sites are encouraged to check details against Lidl’s site requirements and contact the supermarket’s property team with further details.

The site requirements include prominent locations with easy access and strong pedestrian or traffic flow, freehold, leasehold or long leasehold opportunities, unit sizes between 18,000 and 26,500 sq ft and at least 100 dedicated car parking spaces, at least 1.5 acres for standalone stores or up to four acres for mixed-use schemes, and sites can be in a town centre or on the edge of retail parks.

To find out more visit www.lidl.co.uk/ about-us/property