Lidl on hunt for West Midlands sites

Lidl has launched a search for new site locations across the West Midlands as part of the discounter’s ambitious plans to have 1,000 stores in its portfolio by the end of 2023.

The retailer has published its annual list of key areas across Great Britain where it is interested in acquiring sites for potential store development.

The West Midlands features on the list, with particular focus this year including town centre, edge of centre, retail park and metropolitan locations, such as Birmingham Edgbaston, Coventry City Centre and Dudley.

The list of desirable locations for new stores is aimed at landowners and freeholders with suitable sites.

The list of site requirements comes as Lidl’s store expansion continues at pace. So far this year Lidl has opened more than 20 new stores across the country.

Christian Härtnagel, CEO at Lidl GB said: “We are calling on developers and landlords up and down the country to help find potential sites for us to build Lidl stores, which demonstrates the continued ambition we have to further expand our store portfolio across the nation. Despite the challenges of the past year, we still managed to meet our ambitious target of opening, on average, one new store per week across Great Britain.

“We are looking forward to opening more stores throughout the country and welcoming new colleagues in the coming months and years, so that more communities can access quality food at the lowest prices on the market.”

As part of its ongoing plans, Lidl has committed to investing £1.3bn in its store expansion over 2021 and 2022.