Speculation Lidl Is Coming To Guildford

Published on: 24 Sep, 2019
Updated on: 26 Sep, 2019

By Hugh Coakley

Speculation that Lidl will be opening the first of possibly two stores in Guildford, on the current Currys PC World site on Woodbridge Road, continues.

A Lidl spokesperson told The Guildford Dragon NEWS: “We are in the process of exploring various options to bring a Lidl store to Guildford and look forward to sharing any firm plans with the community, as soon as we’re in a position to do so.”

Although unconfirmed, the Currys PC World site looks a plausible option for a Lidl store. It has good car access from the A25 Woodbridge Road, about 150 parking spaces and it will be vacant in the new year once Currys PC World moves into its new location in the former Homebase site in Ladymead.

Currys PC World is moving from its Woodbridge Road site after Christmas. Will Lidl move in?

Views have been expressed that it could be too big for Lidl. It is a large retail area and the possibility that it may be shared with an M&S food hall was raised on local social media earlier this month.

But it is not the only option open to Lidl in this part of Guildford. It already leases from Guildford Borough Council an empty site just across the road in Woodbridge Meadows.

Set between the Big Yellow Self Storage and Brewers decorators’ centre, it is a comparable size. But, with regular queues of vehicles in Woodbridge Meadows waitng to access the A25, it could be a less attractive location for the discount supermarket. It would also need a complete new build.

Or will Lidl come to Woodbridge Meadows? Lidl already leases this derelict site from Guildford Borough Council.

The first Lidl store in the UK opened in 1994. There are more than 750 stores around the country, employing over 22,000 people. It is still relatively small compared to the big four, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons, with about 6% of the UK grocery market.

But, unlike the big four, both of the German discount supermarkets, Lidl and Aldi, are expanding. Lidl has put out a call to land agents to find it two sites in the area, ‘Guildford North’ and ‘Guildford South’.

One or two new Lidl stores would bring further choice for Guildford’s shoppers and would likely be hugely popular. Although it could be bad news for the existing supermarkets, Sainsbury’s and Tesco, by luring their customers away with cheaper prices and the famous ‘middle aisle’ bargains.

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