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York’s new supermarket will open in November

Andrew Wharton, from S Harrison and Ruth Fawcett, Business Development Manager at SASH outside the newly completed Lidl in James Street, York. Photograph: Duncan Lomax / Ravage Productions

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Business, Shopping

They’ve finished building York’s new multi-million pound Lidl, and now they’re fitting out the inside.

And that means the 21,000 sq ft supermarket is set to open in November.

York developer S Harrison has transformed the 2.36 acre James Street site into the new Lidl, which backs onto Foss Island Retail Park.

The supermarket will stock a vast range of products, as well as offering an in-store bakery.

There are 130 parking spaces, including four bays for electric vehicle charging. The new store will create about 40 jobs.

Andrew Wharton, from S Harrison, said:

  • We are highly experienced at giving disused sites like this a viable new future, attracting investment, development and ultimately new jobs for local people.

    The community have really welcomed this development and it’s exciting to see a site that has languished for years totally changed for the better.

Appetite for local food stores

Not long now… Lidl on James Street. Photograph: YorkMix
The Lidl development follows on from S Harrison’s recent delivery of a mixed use scheme at the junction of Union Terrace and Wigginton Road, where it converted a former chapel and car park into 16 apartments and a new Co-operative Food store.

Andrew added: “The appetite is there for local food stores – people want convenience, keenly priced products and easy access, the new Lidl will deliver all of these things.”

Graham Burr, head of property at Lidl, praised the S Harrison team, and wants to continue the business partnership:

  • Their professional, detailed approach to construction procurement on a challenging site, and their transparency with Lidl as tenant, resulted in the completion of the retail unit on programme, in budget and to an exceptional standard.

    We would be delighted to continue our relationship on future new stores.


To mark the completion of the scheme S Harrison has continued its support of York-based charity Safe and Sound Homes (SASH).

The company has been working with the charity, which helps to prevent young people from becoming homeless by offering them a room in the home of volunteers, for three years.

Its latest donation will cover the cost of finding, inducting and training two new volunteer hosts to provide emergency Nightstop services and Supported Lodgings.

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