Lidl reveals 16 areas in Suffolk, including Bury St Edmunds, Sudbury, Newmarket and Ipswich, where it wants to open new stores

Budget supermarket chain Lidl has revealed 16 areas in Suffolk where it would be interested in opening new stores.

The chain, which already owns 950 sites in the UK, and eight in the county, including Ipswich, Felixstowe and Stowmarket, said it wished to continue expanding, and named areas where it would seek to open new units.

Towns that do not currently have a Lidl, such as Bury St Edmunds, Halesworth, Newmarket and Sudbury, have all been earmarked.

About 13 of these sites would be brand new stores, while the firm is also looking to relocate three existing units.

The firm is offering a ‘healthy’ finders’ fee of either 1.5 per cent for freeholds or 10 per cent of the first year’s rent for leased sites to anyone, including members of the public, who successfully locates an area for a new store.

Ryan McDonnell, Lidl GB’s CEO, said: “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.

“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.

Potential sites must have easy access to areas with high footfall or traffic.

In addition, the sites must also be between 18,000 and 26,500 sq ft in size, with 100 parking spaces.

The firm said it would prefer the locations to be in town centres or near retail parks.

A Lidl spokesperson said the list represented potential sites, a small number of which would be developed into future stores.

In addition to the new stores in Suffolk, Lidl is also looking for potential sites in Diss and Soham.

The full list of locations Lidl would like to open new stores are:

- Bury St Edmunds

- Bury St Edmunds east

- Felixstowe – Langer Road (relocation)

- Hadleigh

- Halesworth

- Ipswich – Handford Road (relocation)

- Ipswich northwest

- Ipswich West

- Lowestoft north

- Lowestoft south

- Mildenhall

- Newmarket

- Saxmundham

- Stowmarket (relocation)

- Sudbury

- Woodbridge & Martlesham