Lidl newest Scottish store - Paisley

Source: Lidl

The discounter currently has 30 stores in Greater Manchester, two of which opened this year

Lidl is to open 10 new stores in Greater Manchester over the next three years, growing its estate in the city by a third.

The plans include a new “flagship” Manchester store at City Tower, Piccadilly Gardens, due to open on Thursday next week (17 October).

Other areas due to get a new Lidl include Glossop, Tameside and Oldham.

Lidl said the growth plans, which also include relocating its Golborne store to a bigger site on Bridge Street, would create 400 new jobs.

The new pipeline of stores is a significant acceleration in Lidl’s expansion programme in the city. The discounter currently has 30 Greater Manchester stores, including two opened this year, in Littleborough and Stretford.

It also recently relocated its Todmorden store and refurbished its central Wigan and Farnworth branches.

“Since opening our very first store in Britain in 1994, we’ve opened 30 Lidl stores across Greater Manchester, providing communities with quality products at prices that make them affordable and accessible for everyone,” said Lidl GB regional head of property Nick Harvey.

“As customer demand for the Lidl offering continues to grow in Manchester, we’re excited and proud to be in a position to continue opening new stores and creating more employment opportunities across the region.”

Lidl is also targeting London for expansion. In June the supermarket announced a £500m plan to open 40 new stores inside the M25, including its most central yet, a 14,000 sq ft branch on Tottenham Court Road.

Rival Aldi followed in September by announcing plans to more than double its London estate by the end of 2025, from 45 to 100, including stores in its new Local format.