Lidl has committed £1.3 billion to expanding its store footprint in the next two years, as the discount retailer opened its 800th UK store.

The latest store opening follows a period of rapid growth, with 50 new stores opening in the last 12 months and 16 new stores planned for January and February.

The grocer, which is seeing sales growth of 11.1 per cent year-on-year according to research firm Kantar, is aiming to have opened 1,000 new UK stores by the end of 2023.

The retailer is opening stores in four new locations today, including Cambridge, London, Boston and Dumbarton. This will be followed by a further six new stores next week, creating up to 400 new jobs.

The store expansion will also be in line with ongoing development of logistics capabilities, which included the opening and expansion of six warehouses over the last four years.

Christian Härtnagel, chief executive of Lidl GB, said: “We’re excited to have reached this milestone, which simply means that we’re bringing affordable, high quality food to even more households across Britain.

“We’re looking forward to opening our doors to even more communities this year and into this new decade where we see so much potential for further growth.”

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