Lidl has revealed a list of North East locations where it hopes to open stores - including two in Newcastle city centre and one in Sunderland city centre.
The supermarket chain has published a list of 48 desired locations in the region as it aims to reach 1,100 stores nationwide by the end of 2025. The expansion plans aim to open one in the east and another in the west of the Newcastle city centre, as well as a store in the west of Sunderland city centre.
Lidl, which is now Britain's sixth-largest supermarket, has also added sites including, High Heaton, Gosforth, Ponteland, Whitley Bay and Bensham to its list of locations where it is interested in acquiring sites for potential store development.
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The retailer is investing £1.3 billion in its expansion across 2021 and 2022 and has already opened a new store near North Tyneside General Hospital, which opened in September last year. It was also announced earlier this month that plans for another new store, in Shieldfield, Newcastle, have been approved.
Within its expansion plan, Lidl also listed 97 desirable locations in Yorkshire and Humberside and 10 in Cumbria. And to help with their development plans, Lidl is calling on the public to help them identify suitable sites by offering a 'finder's fee'.
The discounter has revealed that it is offering a finder's fee to members of the public who successfully identify suitable sites for new Lidl stores. The fee is either 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 £1.5m site purchase.
Richard Taylor, Chief Development Officer at Lidl GB, said: "We know that the majority of British shoppers still love doing their shopping in person and we are as committed as ever to opening new stores and enhancing our existing ones. We’re opening an average of one new store a week, which is incredible, and our teams have done a phenomenal job of keeping that pace going over the last couple of years.
"But there are still communities up and down the country that are telling us how much they want – and need - a Lidl store. We work with some of the best people in the industry to identify new sites, but we also know how engaged our future and existing customers are and we want to build on this.
"Our finder's fees are, therefore, available to absolutely anyone that can identify a viable option for a new store that we're not already aware of, and we welcome any suitable suggestions that will help up us to meet our ambitious target of 1,100 stores by the end of 2025."
Members of the public who know of potential sites are encouraged to check details against Lidl’s site requirements and contact the supermarket's Property team with further details.
The North East locations where Lidl is interested in acquiring sites for potential store development are as follows:
- Benton
- Berwick
- Boldon
- Chester-le-Street
- Cramlington
- Darlington - North
- Darlington - South
- Eston
- Filey
- Gateshead - Bensham
- Gateshead - Birtley
- Gateshead - Low Fell
- Gateshead - Ryton
- Gateshead - Wrekenton (relocation)
- Jarrow
- Marske/Saltburn
- Middlesbrough -Linthorpe
- Middlesbrough - Marton
- Middlesbrough - South West
- Newcastle - City Centre East
- Newcastle - City Centre West
- Newcastle - Gosforth/Fawdon
- Newcastle - High Heaton
- Newcastle - Kingston Park
- Newcastle - North Gosforth
- Newcastle - West Denton/Chapel Park
- Newton Aycliffe
- North Shields
- Ponteland
- Prudhoe
- Redcar
- Scarborough - North
- Seaham
- Sedgefield
- Shiremoor
- South Shields - Laygate (relocation)
- South Shields - Marsden
- Stanley
- Stockton - Billingham
- Stockton - Ingleby Barwick
- Stockton - Yarm
- Stokesley
- Sunderland - City Centre West
- Sunderland - Doxford Park
- Sunderland - Roker (relocation)
- Thornaby (relocation)
- Tynemouth
- Whitley Bay
