May 2, 2023 6.00 pm This story is over 19 months old

Not so Lidl: The spread of budget supermarkets in Lincolnshire

Aldi and Lidl are on the rise
An artist's impression of the new Aldo store in Bourne. | Image: Aldi

There has been a rush of budget supermarket plans coming to Lincolnshire in the past few years, with many praising the stores for helping families tackle the cost of living crisis.

Authorities across the county seem to be dealing with more and more applications for shops such as Aldi and Lidl, the UK’s fourth fourth and sixth largest supermarket chains.

Last week a new Aldi approved for the centre of Market Deeping – a town Lidl had hoped to move into – while earlier in March it’s Holbeach plans were also given the go ahead.

There are also plans for even more stores in Boston and Bourne.

Meanwhile, Lidl confirmed it had plans for a number of sites including two in Lincoln, one in Market Rasen, two in Scunthorpe, another in Cleethorpes, plus one each in Grantham and Spalding.

Ryan McDonnell, Lidl GB CEO, commented: “The last few years have been challenging for everyone, but we’ve made it clear that we’re more committed than ever to ensuring that every single household has access to a Lidl store.

“That’s why our focus is firmly on the future as we continue to grow and invest in our infrastructure, while keeping a lookout for more sites and locations across the country.”

Aldi and Lidl have found themselves competing for the same towns | Photo: Lidl

The draw appears to be the low cost of the supermarkets who often move away from branded products, instead opting for their own makes (yes we’re looking at you, Colin the Caterpillar).

Figures released by data analytics firm Kantar show that in the 12 weeks up to 22 January 2023, Aldi and Lidl made a combined sales total of £5.5bn, up by a quarter compared with the same period last year.

The stores’ national success is having an impact on their opponents, with Morrisons last year announcing the closure of 132 loss-making McColl’s convenience stores, including six in Greater Lincolnshire.

Competitiors have been sparked into action to come up with solutions. Some for instance have price matched Aldi or Lidl.

However, the number of applications for a big name supermarket in the county have been few and far between.

One of the few was Sainsbury’s permission to build a new ‘neighbourhood hub’ style store in Washingborough in October, so maybe there’s life in the big brands yet.

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