Lidl plans to open hundreds more supermarkets across Britain – and has named five areas of York it is targeting.
Moreover, the budget retailer is offering more than £20,000 to people who help it secure new sites.
Lidl is already the UK’s sixth biggest supermarket, and is looking for sites for new stores in a swathe of locations including a raft in York and North Yorkshire.
In its new list of desired locations publications, published today (Tuesday), Lidl includes these areas of York:
- Askham
- Boroughbridge Road
- Clifton
- Fulford
- Hull Road.
The discount chain already has supermarkets on James Street and in Acomb.
It said it needs to open supermarkets in prominent locations with easy access and a strong flow of traffic or pedestrians, allowing for unit sizes between 18,000 and 26,500 square feet, and more than 100 car parking spaces.
If it successfully finds a good location, it is willing to pay a finder’s fee of 1.5% of the total freehold purchase price, or 10% of the first year’s rent for leaseholds, which would equate to £22,500 for a completed £1.5 million site purchase.
A finder’s fee can be paid to any member of the public who identifies a suitable site for it to open a new store.
These are the other locations in North Yorkshire that it is targeting:
- Harrogate North
- Harrogate South
- Ripon
- Skipton
- Tadcaster.
Richard Taylor, Lidl Great Britain’s chief development officer, said: “As we celebrate our 30th year, our commitment to ensuring that all households across the country have access to high-quality produce at affordable prices is stronger than ever.
“We’re planning to open hundreds of new Lidl stores but ultimately see no ceiling on our ambition or growth potential.
“This is why we’re continuing to invest in new locations whilst exploring innovative routes to expansion.”
Lidl currently has an 8% share of the UK grocery market, its highest ever level, having grown its customer base since last year, according to figures by Kantar published last week.
This puts it only slightly behind Morrisons, which has an 8.7% share of the grocery market.
Meanwhile, Tesco has retained the title as the UK’s biggest supermarket with a 27.4% share of the market, significantly ahead of any of its rivals.