Up to seven new Lidl stores planned for Shropshire as firm announces £500m plans

The company says it plans to spend half a billion pounds on its expansion plans for the year, after publishing a list of locations it wants to build new stores, or relocate to larger premises.

Among those areas being considered for extra stores are Wellington, Donnington and Telford town centre, with the firm also looking at potentially building in Shifnal. Market Drayton is earmarked for relocation, along with another Telford store, in Hadley.

New stores could also open in Bridgnorth and Ludlow, according to the firm's latest property requirements brochure.

In Shrewsbury, a store is earmarked for an unidentified location near the centre of town.

“This level of investment is a clear sign of our ambition," said Richard Taylor, chief real estate officer at Lidl GB.

"As we enter our fourth decade in Great Britain and hurtle towards a thousand stores, there are still so many parts of the country crying out for convenient access to a Lidl store. That’s why we welcome the measures proposed in the Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill – they recognise the urgent need to remove barriers to development and support the kind of growth we at Lidl are working towards.

“New Lidl stores mean new jobs, new opportunities for British suppliers, and continued investment into local economies. We’re proud to be one of the fastest-growing supermarkets in the country, and with this investment, we’re taking another big step in our journey.” 

Earlier this year, the firm announced it was set to start work on a new store in Bicton Heath. Work commenced on a new premises in Telford in February.

This year will see the completion of the expansion of Lidl’s Belvedere Regional Distribution Centre, which has more than doubled in size. To support its growing estate, the discounter is also set to start construction on a new distribution centre in Leeds later in the year, it says.