Lidl is preparing to open its 1,000th UK store in November this year, 31 years after opening its first.
The discounter staged a parliamentary breakfast attended by 40 MPs to highlight the “huge milestone”.
Lidl currently has more than 980 UK stores, having already added at least 10 new ones so far this year.
Like Aldi – which currently has about 1,050 UK stores – Lidl is aiming to grow its estate to 1,500 in the long term.
In November last year Lidl sealed a £70m deal selling 12 stores under construction, which it is leasing back from the buyers. The stores started opening in spring, including five in a month in April.
It followed about two years of slower estate growth for Lidl, after its parent Lidl Stiftung scaled back new store investment amid high interest rates. Lidl GB instead turned to increasing its warehouse capacity, including opening its biggest distribution centre globally in Luton in 2023.
Lidl said the parliamentary breakfast in late June was a “brilliant opportunity to take stock of how far we’ve come – and to get excited about where we’re headed next.
“Later this year, we’ll be opening our 1,000th store in Great Britain – a huge milestone,” the discounter wrote on LinkedIn.
“Beyond the number, it reflects just how embedded Lidl is in communities up and down the country.”
MPs at the breakfast were addressed by Lidl GB CEO Ryan McDonnell, German ambassador to the UK Miguel Berger, and EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds.
Lidl charity partners and suppliers were also at the event.
Lidl – which won Grocer of the Year at the Grocer Gold Awards earlier this month – added: “Each of those stores represents something bigger than bricks & mortar. They stand for affordable, high-quality food for everyone; good jobs in local communities; investment in regional economies; long-term partnerships with British suppliers; food donations for those who need them most.
“That’s what we wanted to discuss with MPs – and we were proud to do it alongside some of the amazing partners who help bring that impact to life. From the NSPCC and Neighbourly, to We Are Futures, AC Hulme and Sons, and Wyke Farms – plus our brilliant Lidl recruitment team, who showcased the many career paths we offer.”
Lidl, which employs more than 35,000 people across its stores and 14 distribution centres in England, Scotland and Wales, has been the fastest-growing bricks & mortar grocer in Kantar data since autumn 2023. Its sales were up 11.2% year on year in Kantar’s latest monthly market update, covering the 12 weeks to 15 June. Its market share was 8.1%, up from 7.7% a year earlier.
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