LONDON, April 9 (Reuters) - Lidl GB, the UK arm of the German discount supermarket group, plans to open more than 50 new stores across the UK in the next year as part of a 600 million pound ($803
Lidl Expands UK Presence with 50+ New Stores and £600 Million Investment
Lidl GB's Major Expansion and Market Impact
LONDON, April 9 (Reuters) - Lidl GB, the UK arm of the German discount supermarket group, plans to open more than 50 new stores across the UK in the next year as part of a 600 million pound ($803 million) investment, it said on Thursday.
The discounter said the store openings would create almost 2,000 new jobs.
Current Operations and Market Position
Store Network and Ownership
Lidl GB, which is owned by Germany's Schwarz Group, currently trades from over 1,000 UK stores.
Growth and Ranking Among UK Grocers
Lidl GB is currently Britain's fastest-growing bricks-and-mortar grocer. It is Britain's sixth-largest grocer but is poised to overtake Morrisons to become number five.
Sales Performance and Market Share
Recent Sales Data
Industry data, published March 31, showed Lidl GB's sales rose 9.6% over the 12 weeks to March 22 year-on-year, giving it a market share of 8.3%.
Competitive Landscape
Impact on UK Supermarket Sector
Lidl GB and German rival Aldi have expanded rapidly over the past two decades, transforming Britain's supermarket scene and forcing market leader Tesco and number-two Sainsbury's to compete more aggressively on price.
($1 = 0.7470 pounds)
Reporting and Editorial Information
(Reporting by James Davey
Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
