LIDL GB EXPANSION CONTINUES AT PACE WITH 900TH STORE OPENING IN LIVERPOOL

• Lidl opens its 900th British store in Liverpool and remains on track for 1,100 stores by end of 2025
• Expansion continues at pace with six store openings through January, creating nearly 250 jobs
• The discounter was the fastest growing bricks and mortar retailer over Christmas for the second year running

19 January 2022: Lidl GB today announces its 900th store in Great Britain, which opens its doors for the first time tomorrow. Located on Edge Lane near Liverpool city centre, the discounter’s 900th store has created 40 new jobs for the region and joins five other stores opening in January, which will collectively create nearly 250 new jobs. Additional store openings include two new London stores in Heston and St Mary Cray, Shipley, Merry Hill and Newcastle.

Employees working in the new Liverpool store will benefit from Lidl’s hourly wage of £10.10 per hour from 1st March, which is higher than the Government’s “National Living Wage“, making them amongst the highest paid in the supermarket sector.

The supermarket continues to expand at pace, having opened over 50 new stores in the last 12 months alone, contributing to its target of 1,100 stores by the end of 2025 in Great Britain. The discounter was recently crowned the fastest growing bricks and mortar retailer over the Christmas period for the second year running, with sales growing +2.6% YoY and +21% on a two-year basis[1]. 

Lidl GB Chief Executive Officer Christian Härtnagel, who will soon be handing over to new CEO Ryan McDonnell, said: “As my time at Lidl GB comes to an end, I have been reflecting on our achievements over the past five years. Since my appointment in 2016, we have opened over 240 stores and seven distribution centres, creating thousands of new jobs for the UK economy. The opening of our 900th store reiterates our ambitious plans and commitment to Great Britain, and we remain on track to open 1,100 stores by the end of 2025.”

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Lidl colleagues for their hard work and dedication, particularly given the challenging context of the past two years. As our expansion continues at pace, we look forward to opening our doors to more communities up and down the country in the coming months and years and guaranteeing high quality at the lowest prices for even more families.”

As part of its ongoing plans, Lidl has committed to investing £1.3bn in its store expansion over 2021 and 2022. All new stores will also benefit from the discounter’s surplus food donation programme, Feed It Back, in partnership with Neighbourly, which donated 2.7million meals to local good causes in 2020 and 5.5 million in 2021.

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About Lidl GB

Since establishing itself in Great Britain in 1994, Lidl GB has experienced continuous growth and today has over 26,000 employees, over 900 stores and 13 distribution centres in England, Scotland and Wales.

As part of the Schwarz retail group, Lidl is one of Europe’s leading organisations in the food retail industry. The supermarket, which has more than 341,000 employees globally, currently operates approximately 11,550 stores and more than 200 warehouses and distribution centres in 30 countries.

The supermarket takes pride in providing its customers with the highest quality products at the lowest possible prices throughout Great Britain, from Kirkwall to the Isle of Wight. Social responsibility and sustainability are at the core of the company's daily operations, with the company placing a strong emphasis on its responsibility for people, society, and the environment. Lidl GB is passionate about working with British producers and sources two thirds of its products from British suppliers.

The Schwarz Group, which operates worldwide as a retail group, generated a turnover of €125.3 billion in the financial year 2020.

For more information about Lidl GB visit https://corporate.lidl.co.uk/

[1] Kantar data, 4 weeks ended 26th December 2021