Guildford Soon to Have Its Own Lidl Discount Store – Concern Over Impact on Traffic

Published on: 21 Jun, 2021
Updated on: 21 Jun, 2021

The new Lidl supermarket in Woodbridge Road.

By Hugh Coakley

German discount retailer Lidl is opening a new supermarket on Woodbridge Road on the former Curry’s PC World site on Thursday, June 24 at 8am.

It is the first Lidl store in the town and has been welcomed by shoppers. One resident said it would be good competition for the other supermarkets: “It will be the closest supermarket to me and I can walk to it. And it’s cheaper than Waitrose.”

Contractors and staff were working today (Monday, June 21) on the finishing touches for the launch.

Opening times for the new store are 8am to 10pm on Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.

With more than 800 stores around the UK, Lidl’s new Guildford store is said to be creating around 40 new jobs and feature a bakery, customer toilets, cycle facilities and parking for an estimated 150 cars.

Access by car is from the A25 Woodbridge Road dual carriageway. A potential shopper at the store said she was concerned there would be tailback onto the road, especially if it was very busy on opening day.

Concerns about the impact on local traffic also accompanied the opening of Aldi in Burpham. Some Burpham residents feel that their concerns have been proved correct.

Vehicle access to the new Lidl store will be from the busy A25 Woodbridge Road.

The big four supermarkets, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons, account for nearly 70% of the grocery market in the UK with Tesco by far the largest with 27%. Lidl, with Aldi, the Cooperative and Waitrose, have between 5% and 8% each.

The entrance to the new Lidl store in Guildford.

Tesco with 11 stores in the Guildford area, has more presence than any of its competitors.

Apart from the large Tesco supermarket in Ashenden Road near the Royal Surrey County Hospital, there are two Tesco Express’s and the other Tesco-owned brands, Premier stores, Budgens, Londis and One Stop, make up a further eight.

(see Tesco Express Opens New Store On Queen Elizabeth Park)

UK grocery market shares for supermarkets (source Statista). Lidl has around 6% of the total.

Responses to Guildford Soon to Have Its Own Lidl Discount Store – Concern Over Impact on Traffic

Christian Holliday Reply

June 21, 2021 at 11:49 pm

The freeflow of traffic in Burpham has suffered greatly since the opening of the Aldi Store on London Road. I hope this new Lidl store will attract those shoppers from the west of the town who currently visit Aldi, thereby reducing pressure on Burpham’s roads. Additional competition in the grocery sector is also to be welcomed.
- Martin Elliott Reply
  
  June 22, 2021 at 4:04 pm
  
  I hope Christian Holliday has some real data to support and quantify the increased congestion in London Road, Clay Lane and New Inn Road.
  
  The area suffered from congestion, even when the Green Man was a Harvester.
  
  Very often now, it is at a standstill, sometimes when there is traffic exiting or entering Aldi but equally it can be at a standstill when there is no Aldi traffic on the roundabout.
  
  Yes, Aldi may have attracted more traffic. But some of the cars are Sainsbury’s customers.
  
  How about a little evidence of that increase and in congestion caused specifically by Aldi.
Keith Francis Reply

June 22, 2021 at 3:22 am

When Curry’s-PC World was more popular people complained about all the traffic it generated, particularly in inclement weather so what will be different now?

With, presumably, a limit on the hours you can park your vehicle people won’t be going to simply browse but rather to actually buy their groceries.

At Leatherhead vehicles are CCTV monitored on entry and customers need to scan their sales ticket’s barcode and report their vehicle’s registration number at a machine before leaving. Only 90 minutes are allowed so at particular times of day utility vehicles and white vans are prevalent, crowding its small outdoor parking area as they cannot get into the underground car parking.
David Smith Reply

June 22, 2021 at 8:00 am

Pets at Home will be taking the remaining space.
Sara Tokunaga Reply

June 22, 2021 at 11:02 am

The new Lidl store should not become the scapegoat for traffic congestion on the A25 Woodbridge Road dual carriageway.

Guildford’s traffic congestion is legendary, with many people choosing to avoid Guildford altogether. I welcome Lidl to Guildford.

If there is any blame to be attributed, surely it is with GBC’s Planning Department and SCC for their total mismanagement of our developments and highways.
Alan Cooper Reply

June 23, 2021 at 11:42 am

Guildford’s Lidl will at least have more parking spaces than Aldi at Burpham. That store, I believe, has about 70 that have proved to be totally inadequate.

Time will tell. The uncertainty over Walnut Tree Close and the impact of any changes remains to be seen. Guildford’s traffic system is quite often chaotic in any case.