Lidl plots London expansion drive with 280 stores
German discounter Lidl is going after London middle class shoppers with plans to open a huge swathe of stores in upmarket boroughs, including Notting Hill and Mayfair.
The retailer, which has been rapidly gaining market share, yesterday announced ambitious plans to open 280 stores in London and the M25 area.
The areas it is targeting include Kensington, Chiswick, Dulwich, Wimbledon, Fulham, Clapham, Waterloo and Kingston.
The fresh assault on the capital is part of a wider goal to double in size and eventually operate 1,500 UK stores. It currently has 629 stores, including 70 within the M25.
Lidl’s UK property director, Richard Taylor, said: “As we continue with our ambitious store expansion programme across the UK, we’re seeing strong demand, particularly within the greater London area, for an intelligent retail choice like Lidl.
“The nature of our store concepts mean that customers will be able to carry out their full weekly shop no matter which store they visit, and have confidence that prices will remain consistent across all locations.
“We are looking forward to offering our fantastic value and quality products to more customers, as well as bringing new jobs and investment across London in the not-too-distant future,” he added.
Lidl and its larger German rival Aldi have been seizing market share at a record rate in recent years as consumers kept the thrifty shopping habits adopted during the recession.
Lidl has a 4.1 per cent share of the market after growing sales by 12.8 per cent in the 12 weeks to 16 August, the latest Kantar data shoed. Aldi’s market share stood at 5.6 per cent, with sales up 18 per cent.
Their growth has come at the expense of the so-called big four, which are frantically fighting to hold on to shoppers by slashing prices.