Lidl sets its sights on opening FIVE new stores in Wakefield, Pontefract and Castleford

Its plan is to have 1,000 stores in the UK by the end of 2023.

Yorkshire features on the list, with particular focus this year including town centre, edge of centre, retail park and metropolitan locations, such as Wakefield central.

The list of desirable locations for new stores is aimed at landowners and freeholders with suitable sites who are interested in exploring opportunities with Lidl

The discounter is seeking prominent sites, easily accessible and have a strong pedestrian or traffic flow, Lidl is also interested in mixed-use sites, following the success of initiatives such as its Richmond store, where the upper floors of the building are home to Deer Park Primary School.

In the Wakefield district, they are looking for sites in Pontefract, Castleford, Wakefield central, Eastmoor and Wakefield north.

All stores will include Lidl’s famous Bakery, offering freshly baked bread, biscuits and pastries, created by the discounter’s in-store bakers throughout the day. In addition to offering high quality food at great value, all new Lidl stores will 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 that need it the most, via food banks or partner charities.

The list of site requirements comes as Lidl’s store expansion continues at pace. So far this year Lidl has opened more than 20 new stores across the country.

Christian Härtnagel, CEO 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.

"Despite the challenges of the past year, we still managed to meet our ambitious target of opening, on average, one new store per week across Great Britain.

“We are looking forward to opening more stores throughout the country and welcoming new colleagues in the coming months and years, so that more communities can access quality food at the lowest prices on the market.”

As part of its ongoing plans, Lidl has committed to investing £1.3bn in its store expansion over 2021 and 2022.