Supermarket chain reveals places it wants stores

DISCOUNT supermarket chain Lidl has named the places in Cheshire where it wants to build new stores, including Runcorn and Widnes.

And the German retailer is offering a ‘finder’s fee’ to anyone who successfully identifies a suitable site.

Lidl has published its annual list of locations across the UK where it is looking to secure sites for potential store developments. The company has set an ambitious target of having 1,100 stores by the end of 2025.

As part of its search, Lidl has launched a reward scheme for anyone suggesting a site that comes to fruition.

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

Since the turn of the year, the chain has already opened 23 stores. And last month, Lidl became the sixth largest supermarket in the UK.

The company recently submitted plans for a new Lidl store at a Chester retail park.

It already has several branches across the county, but here are other locations where it is seeking sites to add even more:

Alsager; Chester; Chester;

Crewe; Ellesmere Port; Frodsham and Helsby; Holmes Chapel; Middlewich (relocation); Nantwich; Runcorn; Sandbach; Widnes Central, North and South; Winsford; Neston.

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.”

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.

● More information can be found at: www.lidl.co.uk/about-us/ property