Lidl store landmark

GERMAN discounter Lidl opened its 700th UK store yesterday and pledged a further 50 this year as part of a £1.5bn expansion plan.

It came as major supermarket rivals like Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s continue to slash jobs from stores as they struggle to compete with discounters such as Lidl and Aldi. Lidl, which opened its first UK store in 1994, has unveiled plans for a distribution warehouse in Luton, creating up to 1,000 jobs.

Board director Ingo Fischer, said: ‘Surpassing 700 stores is yet further proof of our ambitious rate of expansion across Britain.’