Lidl's 'wish list' for new Black Country stores - and you can earn a finder's fee

Budget supermarket chain Lidl is on the hunt for new sites in the Black Country - and the public can even earn a finder's fee if they suggest a viable location which eventually houses a store.

The UK arm of the German company has published its spring 'wish list' brochure in which it says it is looking for 80 sites across the Black Country, Birmingham and wider Midlands.

These include potential multiple new store openings or relocations in Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton alongside sites in Kidderminster, Oldbury, Sedgley, Stourbridge and Wednesbury among others.

These latest expansion plans add to news confirmed last week that Lidl would be creating 40 jobs by building a new store at the Goldthorn Hotel site, off Penn Road in Wolverhampton. This will replace the existing hotel building which will be demolished following planning approval being granted in 2023.

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The booklet details hundreds of target locations across the country where Lidl is seeking freehold, leasehold and long-leasehold sites for new stores and is offering a "competitive" finder's fee for previously unidentified locations that lead to a store development.

Its criteria include prominent locations with easy access and strong pedestrian or traffic flow, unit sizes up to 26,500 sq ft and at least 100 parking spaces as well as both central and out-of-town locations.

Chief real estate officer Richard Taylor said: "We currently have one of the most ambitious store opening programmes of any supermarket and we are more committed than ever to bringing our high-quality and low-priced products to even more communities across the country.

"All of our stores deliver more than just affordable products. Each one also brings quality jobs, opportunities for British suppliers to showcase the best of our home grown produce and support to local good causes in the communities each one serves."

Earlier this month, Lidl GB confirmed plans to open more than 50 new stores in the next 12 months as part of a £600 million investment.

The chain said it held a 33-month streak as the fastest-growing bricks-and-mortar supermarket in the UK, with the publication of its latest target locations signaling a clear intention to continue to grow at pace after opening its 1,000 store in East Grinstead last November.

It is also constructing a new warehouse in Leeds which is due to open in 2027.