Lidl Great Britain Hits 860 Store Mark, Remaining on Track to Reach 1,000 Locations by the End of 2023; Christian Härtnagel Discusses
GREAT BRITAIN - Lidl is a company that knows a thing or two about ambition, having established a successful multi-national chain of grocery stores that continues to conquer the shifting retail landscape even amidst the pandemic. The retailer’s recent strategy is no different, looking to expand its reach in Great Britain to encompass 1,000 stores by the end of 2023, and Lidl is on track to do just that as it has opened 20 new stores in 2021, reaching 860 locations overall.
“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,” said Christian Härtnagel, Chief Executive Officer at Lidl GB. “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 high quality food at the lowest prices on the market.”
To support its goal of reaching 1,000 new stores, Lidl has formed a £1.3 billion ($1.55 billion) investment plan for 2021 and 2022, according to a press release. The plan also includes the opening of 50 new stores throughout 2021, creating more than 2,000 new jobs.
As preparation for this ambitious strategy, the retailer has published its annual list of desired locations across the country where it is interested in acquiring sites for store development. This year, the focus has been on town centers, edge of center, retailer parks, and metropolitan locations. The list is aimed at landowners and freeholders with suitable sites who are interested in exploring opportunities with Lidl.
Despite pandemic restrictions, Lidl’s expansion has continued at pace. So far, the retailer has opened more than 20 new stores across the country.
All stores will feature solar panels on the exterior to provide renewable energy for the location, in addition to electric vehicle charging stations. The sites will also become part of Lidl’s food resdistribution program, Feed It Back, which donates surplus food to those in need within local communities.
With this ambitious growth strategy already underway in Great Britain, will the U.S. market be the next to see a string of store openings? Keep reading AndNowUKnow for the answers.
