Lidl calls on YOU to help locate new Wakefield sites with £22k reward

The discounter, which is investing £1.3billion in its expansion, has revealed it's offering a finder's fee to people who successfully identify suitable sites for Lidl stores in Wakefield Central, Eastmoor, North Wakefield, Pontefract and Castleford.

The fee is either 1.5% of the total freehold purchase price or 10% of the first year’s rent for leaseholds, which would equate to £22,500 for a completed £1.5m site purchase.

The news comes as Lidl publishes its annual list of locations across the country where it is interested in acquiring sites for potential store developments.

Since the beginning of 2022, Lidl has already opened 23 new stores nationally across the country and in March 2022 it became the sixth largest supermarket in the UK.

Richard Taylor, Chief Development Officer said at Lidl GB said: “We know that the majority of British shoppers still love doing their shopping in person and we are as committed as ever to opening new stores and enhancing our existing ones.

"We’re opening an average of one new store a week, which is incredible, and our teams have done a phenomenal job of keeping that pace going over the last couple of years.

"But there are still communities up and down the country that are telling us how much they want – and need - a Lidl store. We work with some of the best people in the industry to identify new sites, but we also know how engaged our future and existing customers are and we want to build on this.

"Our finder’s fees are, therefore, available to absolutely anyone that can identify a viable option for a new store that we’re not already aware of, and we welcome any suitable suggestions that will help up us to meet our ambitious target of 1,100 stores by the end of 2025.”

The requirements Lidl is looking for in Wakefield include:

Prominent locations with easy access and strong pedestrian or traffic flow.

Freehold, leasehold or long leasehold opportunities.

Unit sizes between 18,000 and 26,500 sq ft and 100+ dedicated car parking spaces.

1.5+ acres for standalone stores or up to 4 acres for mixed-use schemes.

Town centre or edge of centre and retail parks.

If you know of potential sites that meet the requirements contact the supermarket’s Property team with further details.