Lidl will open its first store in central London | Business

Lidl will open its first store in central London and open 40 new stores in the capital over the next five years.

The German discount chain announced that it would invest more than £ 500 million in London and create 1,500 jobs in new stores, including Alperton, East Acton, Hackbridge and Watford. Lidl currently has 88 stores in the capital, out of 760 in the UK.

Lidl will renovate a Sainsbury's store located on Tottenham Court Road, near the Warren Street subway station, its first store in the heart of London. It is expected to open next summer and will be a Lidl department store with a retail space of 1,300 m², selling its entire range of products, including bread and cake baked at the store and its popular aisle items. power stations. These are non-food items that change frequently, from clothes and toys to kitchen appliances and garden tools.

Christian Härtnagel, chairman and CEO of Lidl's UK subsidiary, said: "We have opened our doors in London for 25 years and now have almost 90 stores, employing more than 5,000 people. London is at the heart of our growth plans in Britain. "

Lidl has started building a new headquarters in Tolworth, South West London, which can accommodate 800 people. She is also planning a new warehouse in Luton and is expanding her Belvedere warehouse, which is delivering it to her stores in South London.

George Charles, of the MoneySavingHeroes website, said, "One of the worst aspects of living in London is the total cost of everything including the grocery store because many are forced to shop in convenience stores. expensive scattered in the city. Hopefully, this planned Lidl expansion will make a small difference by giving people living near stores a chance to live a more affordable life while in London. "

Lidl entered the UK market in 1994 and now employs more than 22,500 people in its chain of stores and 13 warehouses.

British buyers continue to flock to Lidl and his German rival Aldi, who have recorded the largest sales increases from the year to April, according to figures from the Kantar consulting firm. Both have transformed the way British stores are buying and Lidl now controls 5.7% of the UK grocery market, ahead of Waitrose. In recent months, consumers have kept their portfolios under control as political uncertainty persisted and the economic situation deteriorated.