How you could earn thousands of pounds by helping Lidl find sites for new North East stores - here is where they want to build

The firm, which is investing £1.3billion in its expansion nationwide, is offering a finder’s fee to members of the public who successfully identify suitable locations for new stores.

The fee will be 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 £1.5million site purchase.

Lidl’s annual list of locations across the country where it is interested in acquiring sites includes Sunderland, Chester-le-Street, Jarrow, Berwick and Prudhoe.

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

Chief Development Officer Richard Taylor said: “We know 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 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.”

Site Requirements:

*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.

Members of the public who know of potential sites are encouraged to check details against Lidl’s site requirements and contact the supermarket’s property team with further details. More information can be found here: www.lidl.co.uk/about-us/property