A SUPERMARKET giant is calling for help from residents to locate sites for potential new shops in Chester.

The latest property brochure produced by Lidl shows that the retailer is keen to identify sites in north, east, south and west Chester.

The chain is investing £1.3billion in its expansion across 2021 and 2022, as part of an ambitious target of opening 1,100 stores by the end of 2025.

To help meet this goal, Lidl is offering a finder’s fee to members of the public who successfully identify suitable sites for new Lidl stores.

The fee is either 1.5 per cent of the total freehold purchase price or 10 per cent of the first year’s rent for leaseholds, which would equate to £22,500 for a completed £1.5million site purchase.

Richard Taylor, chief development officer at Lidl GB, said: “We know that the majority of British shoppers still love doing their shopping in person, and we are as committed as ever to opening new stores and enhancing our existing ones.

“We are opening an average of one new store a week, which is incredible, and our teams have done a phenomenal job of keeping that pace going over the last couple of years.

“But there are still communities up and down the country that are telling us how much they want and need a Lidl store.

“We work with some of the best people in the industry to identify new sites, but we also know how engaged our future and existing customers are, and we want to build on this.

“Our finder’s fees are therefore available to absolutely anyone that can identify a viable option for a new store that we are not already aware of, and we welcome any suitable suggestions that will help up us to meet our ambitious target of 1,100 stores by the end of 2025.”

Since the beginning of 2022, Lidl has already opened 23 new stores, providing more communities with access to high quality food at the lowest possible prices.

Warrington already has three Lidl stores near the town centre on Fennel Street, on Thelwall Lane in Latchford and one near Pink Eye roundabout on Old Liverpool Road.

A new supermarket is also planned on a new retail park at Omega South, with planning permission granted by the council in February.

Members of the public who know of potential sites are encouraged to check details against Lidl’s site requirements and contact the supermarket’s property team with further details.

Requirements include prominent locations with easy access and strong pedestrian or traffic flow in the town centre, edge of centre or on a retail park.

There must be freehold or leasehold opportunities, unit sizes between 18,000 and 26,500square feet, 100 or more dedicated car parking spaces, 1.5 or more acres for standalone stores or up to four acres for mixed-use schemes.

More information can be found at lidl.co.uk/about-us/property