Lidl celebrates record £4bn turnover as discounter cements place in UK with new head office

Lidl’s UK operation has announced plans to build a new head office in Tolworth, south west London, in a move seen as cementing its big player status in the UK supermarket sector. 

 

The expansion comes in the wake of what the company said is its most successful trading year yet.

 

The new office will be built on Kingston-council owned land, acquired from the council for £10m, and is expected to be operational towards the end of 2018.

 

The announcement comes as Lidl UK this week announced a record annual turnover in excess of £4bn for the 2014 financial year. Last month Lidl reached a UK market share of 3.9 per cent.

 

Lidl UK’s chief executive, Ronny Gottschlich, said: “We’ve had a phenomenal increase in sales over the last 12 months, which is not just encouraging for us, for our employees and for our suppliers but also for the areas that we continue to invest in with new stores and warehouses – and now with our new head office.”

 

The news was welcomed by councillor Kevin Davis, leader of Kingston Council, who said that the new headquarters would provide a boost to the local economy.

 

“Lidl is a blue-chip company with ambitious expansion plans. Having them headquartered in our borough will provide a huge boost to the local economy and employment market.

 

“It also sends out a clear message that the borough of Kingston is a good place to do business.”

 

YouGov BrandIndex’s 2015 mid-year Buzz Score Rankings saw Lidl topping the charts as one of the highest performing supermarkets, coming second only to fellow German discount chain Aldi.