‘I’ll miss it’ cry shoppers as discount supermarket with 960 stores to close shop for a YEAR in days

A MAJOR supermarket is due to close a store within days after confirming the branch will be demolished – but it’ll reopen next year.

Lidl in Wells, Somerset is due to be knocked down after its closure leaving shoppers without their local supermarket until February 2025.

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The Wells branch of Lidl will close on Saturday, March 30 by 12pm. 

Last year in July Somerset Council approved plans for Lidl to rebuild and expand the existing store on Strawberry Way.

The new store is expected to be around 2,269 square metres and bring 46 extra parking spaces. 

The store will have almost 50% more floor space in 2025 and will provide ten jobs. 

A sign is now on the side of the Well’s store announcing the closure and the new store opening, though the demolition date has not been confirmed.  

It reads: “We’re closing on 30 March, 12pm, but you’ll love your new Wells store. Opening February 2025 Strawberry Way, South Wells.”

Locals took to Facebook to complain about how long they will have to wait for a new store. 

One user said: “I’ll miss it.”

“So long before the new place opens.”

A third user agreed saying: “Seems a very long time to wait.”

“Hopefully they add self-checkouts,” said someone else. 

Lidl declined to comment though it has confirmed the Somerset store closure.

This isn’t the first Lidl store due to be demolished and rebuilt, the Lidl on Whistleberry Road in Blantyre closed this month as well. 

Construction work for the new store is expected to start soon and take up to a year, with re-opening expected before Easter 2025.

Lidl confirmed last month that it is looking to open 12 new stores across the UK and has revealed which locations are due attention.

Retailers closing stores in 2024

RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.

High energy costs and a move to shopping online are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.

Here’s a list of all the big-name brands closing stores this year:

• Argos – The brand announced plans to close 100 standalone UK branches last year as it looks to move away from the high street and focus on expanding its presence in supermarkets.
• B&Q – The chain has over 300 shops across the UK, so chances are you have one near you, but some stores have closed in recent months.
• Boots – The health and beauty chain announced that it would be closing 300 stores last July. Closures are ongoing and this will see the retailer’s estate reduced from 2,200 to 1,900 shops.
• Clintons – Clintons mulled plans to close 38 shops in a bid to avoid insolvency late last year. We’ve listed the stores affected.
• Costa Coffee – The caffeine giant has around 2,000 sites nationwide, so chances are you’ll have one near you. The chain has shut the doors to dozens of its sites recently. We’ve revealed which stores are due to close this year.
• Iceland – The supermarket has more than 900 stores but closed nearly two dozen sites in 2023, and more selected shops are due to shut.
• Lidl – The supermarket, which has 950 stores, is changing up shop locations, which has meant that some stores have to close. But the retailer is also looking to open 12 new supermarkets.
• M&S – M&S, which runs 405 stores across the country, has been closing a string of branches across the country in a blow for shoppers. It’s not all bad news, though, because the chain also has big plans to open dozens of new shops as well.
• Trespass – The firm announced in July last year that it was closing six branches, but more are on the way.
• WHSmith – The retail giant, which runs over 1,100 stores, has shuttered eight stores since March 2023, but more are coming.

The chain is looking for investors to build 12 supermarkets, which they can then lease to the supermarket chain to operate on their behalf.

Currently, around 20% of its roughly 960 UK stores are leasehold.

In a funding pitch, Lidl asks for the new stores to come with a 25-year lease.

These will then be subject to five yearly rent reviews based on open market values.

The 12 locations Lidl is looking to open new supermarkets are:

• Alexandria
• Birmingham
• Bovey Tracey
• Bristol
• Crediton
• Downham Market
• Hull
• Manchester
• Northampton
• Reading
• Redcar
• Saffron Walden

You can find the full list of Lidl openings and closures in our guide.

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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk