Budget supermarket giant Lidl is planning to open a new store in Southfields as part of a major nationwide expansion that will see 40 new stores open in the next year – including multiple new sites across Wandsworth.
The news comes a few days after Lidl announced a £500 million investment to fund its latest growth drive, which includes opening brand new supermarkets and relocating existing ones.
In Wandsworth alone, Lidl is targeting eight new sites: Balham, Battersea, Clapham (North, Old Town, and South), Nine Elms, York Road – and now Southfields.
While it’s not yet confirmed where exactly the Southfields store would go, possible locations include one of the vacant units south of the tube station on Wimbledon Park Road or the long-disused former bank on Erpingham Road, between The Village Butchers and the Old Fields pub.
Putney residents will already be familiar with Lidl’s presence – and strong following. Its High Street branch, particularly praised for affordable and high-quality vegetables, is a staple for many local shoppers. Another Lidl operates in the Southside Shopping Centre in central Wandsworth.
Follows on heels of M&S announcement
Lidl’s announcement follows hot on the heels of Marks & Spencer’s recent news that it will reopen its long-closed Putney High Street store as part of a similar expansion of its food halls across southwest London.
The return of big-name food retailers to Putney and surrounding areas signals growing confidence in the return of in-person shopping and could be just the boost local high streets need. As more people head to town centres for their groceries, there’s hope this increased footfall could help revive other vacant retail units and encourage new independent businesses to set up shop.
Lidl’s Chief Real Estate Officer, Richard Taylor, said the expansion is part of a long-term vision to meet growing demand: “As we enter our fourth decade in Great Britain and hurtle towards a thousand stores, there are still so many parts of the country crying out for convenient access to a Lidl store.”
With fresh jobs, local investment, and a new wave of retail optimism, Southfields could be next in line to benefit from Lidl’s success story.
