PLANS have been revealed for UK supermarket Lidl to open several brand-new shops in Somerset.
Lidl are investing around £500 million to continue its expansion of stores across the UK, with plans to open more than 40 new stores in the current financial year.
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The retailer, which has more than 980 stores and 14 distribution centres in England, Scotland and Wales, revealed plans to open seven new stores in Somerset in a lengthy list of locations for potential new stores on Monday (April 28).
A new Somerset Lidl branch opened in Wells back in January, which included a warehouse and ancillary spaces, which are 2,269 square metres.
The multi-million-pound investment hasn't just upgraded the shopping experience—it's also created 20 new jobs, alongside welcoming back existing staff at the Wells store.
The eight new potential Lidl Somerset locations include:
- Bath (three locations)
- Cheddar
- Keynsham
- Nailsea
- Shepton Mallet
- Weston-super-Mare
Figures from Kantar suggested that Lidl sales rose by 9.1% over the 12 weeks to March 24.
This has seen it take a 7.8% share in the UK grocery market and move closer to overtaking Morrisons, which is currently the UK’s fifth largest supermarket chain.
Richard Taylor, chief real estate officer at Lidl GB, said: “This level of investment is a clear sign of our ambition.
“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.
“New Lidl stores mean new jobs, new opportunities for British suppliers, and continued investment into local economies.”
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