Aldi has won permission for a new store in Lincolnshire after a four-year battle with Lidl.
Both had submitted bids to open stores in Horncastle, but planners decided two discount supermarkets would be too harmful to the town centre
Councillors narrowly sided with Aldi at a three-hour East Lindsey District Council planning committee meeting on Thursday after hearing Aldi’s proposed store would attract more trade to the town centre, thanks to its location on a main route between Horncastle and Skegness. Aldi’s proposals also included a petrol station, public toilets and a tourist information hub, LincsOnline reported.
Councillor Richard Avison told the meeting Lidl’s proposed Boston Road store would cause more traffic disruption.
“Horncastle needs the biggest shot in the arm it can get,” he said. “Aldi will bring more trade to the town, and stop people from travelling to other towns to do their shopping.
“It will also capture trade on the main Skegness route, without adding to congestion pressure.”
Aldi and Lidl are both attempting to open about 40 or more stores this year, a race that will pit the two against each other for locations across the UK. The case highlights how they are increasingly likely to come up against each other as they pursue long-term goals of having 1,500 UK stores each.
Aldi is the bigger of the two, with 1,080 stores and market share of 10.8% versus Lidl’s 1,000-plus stores and 8.8% share. But Lidl has been growing sales more rapidly. Its share has risen from half a percentage point in the past year, while Aldi’s has shrunk by 0.2 percentage points [Worldpanel 12 w/e 12 July 2026].
“This is fantastic news for Horncastle,” said Jonathan Neale, Aldi UK MD of national real estate. “After more than four years working alongside the local community, we are thrilled that the council has backed our plans and we are looking forward to getting started on our new store as soon as possible.
“We always believed Aldi was the right choice for Horncastle and we’d like to thank the nearly 900 residents who supported our application. We will begin work immediately and look forward to welcoming shoppers in the not-too-distant future.”
Aldi said its scheme was backed by more than than 900 local residents and would create 40 new jobs.
A Lidl spokesperson said: “Lidl is disappointed that members of East Lindsey District Council’s Planning Committee have refused the application to deliver a much-needed new Lidl foodstore for Horncastle. This is especially disappointing given the strong local support for the proposals, including almost 2,100 petition signatures, alongside hundreds of letters already submitted to the planning file.”
“Lidl shares the frustration of local residents and businesses who want to see greater shopping choice in the town. The proposals would have regenerated a vacant brownfield site, created local jobs and delivered a foodstore with the lowest assessed impact on Horncastle town centre. Time will now be taken to consider the next steps.”
Aldi had earlier won planning permission in 2022, but the decision was reversed in High Court in 2024 following a challenge from Lidl.
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