Oakland International - Article

Oakland International - Article

Lidl has opened five new stores today to take the fast growing discounter’s total number of UK stores to 700.

Faster store opening programme on track

The new stores in Edinburgh, Stockton on Tees, Hull, Polegate (East Sussex) and Rosehill (South London) prove that Lidl’s accelerated store opening plans are on track. Last July CEO Christian Härtnagel announced that Lidl would double its store opening rate to 50-60 per year for the foreseeable future and 30 stores have now opened since then. A further 30 stores are also being upgraded in 2017/18 as part of the retailer’s £1.45bn investment plan.

Raising the quality of the in-store experience

The new stores feature Lidl’s latest thinking on format development, with a more spacious footprint to improve the customer experience and shopper circulation around the store. Longer tills make the checkout process less hectic for shoppers while dual packing areas create more time for customers to pack their purchases. The stores also have clear hero areas with attractively merchandised fresh produce, in-store bakeries, an authoritative wine offer and increased space for non-food WIGIG lines. In addition, new stores also include self scan checkouts and customer toilets and baby changing facilities.

Proof of ambition

Ingo Fischer, Lidl UK board director for expansion and development, said: “As the UK’s fastest growing supermarket, surpassing 700 stores is yet further proof of our ambitious rate of expansion across Britain. It’s great that more people than ever before have access to our high quality, fresh and locally sourced products at incredible value, and that as a result, we’re able to create more jobs for local communities up and down the country.”

Key features of new Lidl stores

Fresh food and bakery heroed at the front of the store

Longer tills create improve the checkout experience

Lidl gears up for the World Cup

More room for non-food

Source: 15 February 2018: IGD Retail Analysis