Lidl picks 33 places in Kent which could get a new supermarket
Published: 10:55, 17 November 2023
Updated: 10:02, 22 November 2023
Supermarket giant Lidl has revealed it is looking to open more than 100 new sites, with 33 earmarked for the county.
The German chain wants people to suggest different locations around Kent as it aims to have 1,100 shops by 2025.
It would create hundreds of new jobs for the county and 4,000 across the UK.
The spaces Lidl is looking for include standalone stores, retail parks, mixed-use properties, high streets, and shopping centres.
Supermarket bosses are looking for places around the county which meet their “standard store format”, which are in “prominent locations with easy access and strong pedestrian or traffic flow”.
The units must be between 18,000 and 26,500 sq ft and have more than 100 car parking spaces.
There must also be more than 1.5 acres for standalone stores or up to four acres for mixed-used schemes.
Lidl GB chief executive Christian Härtnagel said: “Our new store target today marks a significant investment for the business. We remain committed to our bricks and mortar strategy and maintaining our store opening pace; roughly a store a week for the next four years.
“We will continue to offer great quality products at unbeatable value to even more communities across the country. I am also looking forward to welcoming even more colleagues to the Lidl GB team.”
The 33 sites targeted by Lidl in Kent are listed below.
North Kent
Chatham
Cranbrook
Gillingham
Isle of Sheppey
Maidstone – North East
Maidstone – South East
Paddock Wood
Rainham
Rochester
Tunbridge Wells
Sevenoaks
Sittingbourne
Snodland
Staplehurst
Strood
Swanscombe/Northfleet
Tonbridge
Walderslade
South Kent
Ashford – Central
Ashford – North
Ashford – South East
Canterbury – Sturry
Canterbury – Wincheap
Deal
Dover
Faversham
Folkestone
Hythe
Margate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate – Westwood Cross
Tenterden
Whitstable
Plans for a Lidl store in Sheppey were put on hold earlier this year after Aldi joined Tesco in a legal challenge against the approved plans.
While a shop in Medway Road, Gillingham, opened last September after a similar long-running problem.
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Sean McPolin