Supermarket giant Lidl has targeted 26 locations for possible new stores across Liverpool city region as part of a £1.3bn nationwide expansion that will create thousands of jobs. Tony McDonough reports
Supermarket giant Lidl had identified 26 locations across Liverpool city region where it plans to open new stores as part of a nationwide £1.3bn expansion.
It has also targeted a further four locations in Warrington and two in Ellesmere Port as it looks to meet its target of operating 1,000 British stores by the end of 2023. If all the city region locations come to fruition it would mean the creation of more than 1,000 new jobs.
However, the German group has yet to make a decision on the former Abbey Cinema in Wavertree which it planned to demolish and build a new outlet on the site, creating 30 new jobs.
In May, Lidl withdrew its planning application for the store on the location it had acquired from Co-op. It proposed to demolish the building and construct a new 18,000 sq ft store. Some residents were in favour of the project but heritage campaigners quickly objected.
In April Historic England, the public body which protects old buildings, officially recommended the landmark site for listing at Grade II level, which means it cannot be demolished. Lidl is still pondering its options for the site.
The company is appealing for freeholders and property owners in the targeted areas to come forward with their suggestions. The list includes 13 locations in Liverpool, seven in Wirral, four in Sefton and two in Knowsley. The full list is:
- Birkdale / Ainsdale
- Crosby
- Ellesmere Port – North
- Ellesmere Port – South
- Formby
- Huyton
- Kirkby
- Liverpool – Aigburth
- Liverpool – Allerton
- Liverpool – Anfield
- Liverpool – City Centre
- Liverpool – Gateacre
- Liverpool – Hunts Cross
- Liverpool – Norris Green
- Liverpool – Old Swan
- Liverpool – Speke
- Liverpool – Vauxhall
- Liverpool – Walton
- Liverpool – West Derby
- Liverpool – Woolton
- Netherton
- Prescot
- Rainhill
- Runcorn
- Southport – North
- Warrington – East
- Warrington – North
- Warrington – South
- Warrington – West
- Widnes – Central
- Widnes – North
- Widnes – South
- Wirral – Heswall
- Wirral – Hoylake / West Kirkby
- Wirral – Moreton
- Wirral – Neston
- Wirral – New Brighton
- Wirral – Seacombe
- Wirral – Upton
Lidl is seeking prominent sites, easily accessible and have a strong pedestrian or traffic flow. It is also interested in mixed-use sites. All stores will include Lidl’s bakery, offering freshly baked bread, biscuits and pastries.
All new outlets will also feature solar panels on the exterior to provide renewable energy for the site, in addition to the installation of electric vehicle charging points. Each new store will also become part of Lidl’s food redistribution programme Feed It Back, which sees surplus food donated to those within local communities.
Christian Härtnagel, chief executive at Lidl GB, said: “We are calling on developers and landlords up and down the country to help find potential sites for us to build Lidl stores, which demonstrates the continued ambition we have to further expand our store portfolio across the nation.