Lidl to open 50 UK stores in year ahead – and its first pub
Lidl is to open 50 new UK stores in the year ahead – as well as its first pub – as it aims to overtake Morrisons as the country’s fifth largest supermarket chain.The German-owned retailer has begun building a pub in east Belfast in response to strict local licensing laws that cap the number of premises that can sell alcohol.In Northern Ireland, supermarkets that want to sell alcohol must buy a licence that has been “surrendered” by another business, such as a pub that is shutting.They then must show there is an inadequate number of existing licensed premises in an area to meet the public’s needs.Lidl was not able to pass the inadequacy test for a standard off-licence, but was able to for a pub as two nearby bars had closed in recent years.
Given these unusual circumstances the pub, which will operate in separate premises next door, is likely be a one-off,Lidl’s regional general manager, Gordon Cruikshanks, said: “After a six-year planning process, we are delighted to confirm today the development of a brand-new pub and the corresponding off-license, located next to our store in Dundonald,”He told the Spanish news agency EFE that he expects to open the venue, which will seat about 60 people, this summer and it will serve a selection of products from Lidl’s range of beers, wines, and spirits, as well as other beverages to “promote local suppliers”,Lidl GB, which now has more than 1,000 British stores, said it planned to invest more than £600m in UK expansion, creating almost 2,000 jobs as it grows its warehouse and logistic network to supply its new outlets,The new locations include Abbots Langley near Watford, Warrington in Cheshire, and Thornbury in Gloucestershire, all of which will open this summer.
The 50 store openings in the next 12 months compares with 40 in the year to February 2026 and just one closure.Lidl GB does not expect any closures in the year ahead.In the year to February 2025 there were a net 12 stores added, while there was one the prior year as it slowed expansion to focus on improving existing stores.Lidl and its rival German discounter Aldi – which overtook Morrisons as the fourth biggest supermarket in 2022 and is snapping at the heels of third-placed Asda – have grown rapidly in the UK as they have benefited from households hunting for cheaper items amid the cost of living crisis.However, in the last few years Tesco and Sainsbury’s – the UK’s first and second largest chains respectively – have fought back with loyalty schemes and ranges that match Aldi on price.
Lidl said it would be hosting more than 150 property partners and agents at an event this month as it tries to secure new locations.The latest market data indicated that Lidl drew level with Morrisons on UK market share of 8.3% as it achieved the fastest pace of growth among the grocers with physical stores.Only Ocado, the online grocer, outpaced Lidl’s 9.6% growth in the three months to 22 March, according to Worldpanel by Numerator.
Morrisons’ sales rose by just 2.3% in the period, well behind inflation.In the year to February 2025, sales rose 8.3% to £11.7bn at Lidl GB and profits more than doubled to £156.
8m, with employee numbers rising to 11,422.Ryan McDonnell, the chief executive of Lidl GB, said: “As we grow, we want to positively impact our British communities … Our expansion translates directly into high-quality jobs and gives British suppliers the certainty they need to invest in the future.”Kate Dearden, the minister for employment rights and consumer protection, said: “This kind of investment is exactly what we want to see from big employers – creating thousands of good jobs that pay fair wages and boost the standard of living in communities across the country.”
UK to give £380m grant to Tata battery factory in Somerset
The Somerset battery factory due to supply Jaguar Land Rover is to receive £380m in UK government funding as it pushes ahead with construction despite delays.JLR, Britain’s largest automotive employer, is due to receive batteries from the site to make electric versions of its Range Rover and Jaguar models. The Indian conglomerate Tata owns JLR and the electric vehicle (EV) battery factory under its Agratas subsidiary.The business secretary, Peter Kyle, announced the grant on Thursday during a visit to the construction site in Bridgwater, Somerset. The government said the battery plant – also known as a gigafactory – would employ 4,200 people in the long term
Lidl to open 50 UK stores in year ahead – and its first pub
Lidl is to open 50 new UK stores in the year ahead – as well as its first pub – as it aims to overtake Morrisons as the country’s fifth largest supermarket chain.The German-owned retailer has begun building a pub in east Belfast in response to strict local licensing laws that cap the number of premises that can sell alcohol.In Northern Ireland, supermarkets that want to sell alcohol must buy a licence that has been “surrendered” by another business, such as a pub that is shutting. They then must show there is an inadequate number of existing licensed premises in an area to meet the public’s needs.Lidl was not able to pass the inadequacy test for a standard off-licence, but was able to for a pub as two nearby bars had closed in recent years
Chris Haskins was a champion of the left behind | Letter
The fight for social justice has lost a real champion with the death of Chris Haskins (Obituary, 3 April). As a junior public health academic, I experienced first-hand his openness and willingness to embrace and support insights into the conditions of the left behind in the north of England.In his response to my cold-calling letter drawing attention to the problem of food deserts in inner-city Liverpool, I was privileged to attend the famously relaxed and open Northern Foods directors’ meetings above the dairy in Hull and provided with generous funds for research into this hidden injustice.With Lord Haskins’ support, we were able to reveal how poverty-stricken communities had access only to overpriced processed and tinned food from corner shops whose owners left each night for their homes in the affluent suburbs.The battle for universal access to wholesome, affordable food continues, but Haskins will remain a beacon of ethical and sustainable capitalism
Oil rises and global stocks wobble amid worries over ‘fragile’ ceasefire deal in Middle East – as it happened
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Strait of Hormuz not open, Abu Dhabi’s oil chief says as crude prices rise
The boss of Abu Dhabi’s state-owned oil company has said the strait of Hormuz is “not open” despite the US-Iran ceasefire agreed earlier this week, as uncertainty over the truce pushed the price of Brent crude towards $100 a barrel on Thursday.Sultan Al Jaber, the chief executive officer of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), said passage through the crucial waterway was subject to “permission, conditions and political leverage” by Iran. He said energy security and global economic stability depended on the strait being opened “fully, unconditionally and without restriction”.Al Jaber wrote on LinkedIn: “The weaponisation of this vital waterway, in any form, cannot stand. This would set a dangerous precedent for the world – undermining the principle of freedom of navigation that underpins global trade and, ultimately, the stability of the global economy
Head of IMF says Iran war will permanently scar global economy even if peace is reached
The head of the International Monetary Fund has warned that the Iran war will permanently scar the global economy even if a durable peace deal in the Middle East can be reached.In a speech delivered as the ceasefire in the conflict threatened to unravel, Kristalina Georgieva said the “scarring effects” caused by the war to date would mean slower global growth this year than first anticipated.Had it not been for the outbreak of the conflict six weeks ago, the IMF would have upgraded its global growth outlook for 2026, Georgieva said. “But now, even our most hopeful scenario involves a growth downgrade. Even in a best case, there will be no neat and clean return to the status quo
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