‘We’re devastated’ sob shoppers as Lidl confirms city centre branch will close for good after nearly two decades
LIDL has confirmed one of its city centre branches is closing for good after trading for nearly two decades.
The discount supermarket says an outlet in Edinburgh will shut up shop and it is now on the lookout for a replacement site.
Lidl says that due to a surge in popularity and the aging nature of the supermarket on Drum Street, Gilmerton, means it is looking to expand into new premises.
Due to the format of the building, which is also attached to an Iceland store, it is “unfortunately not suitable for redevelopment” and it is also coming to the end of its lease.
The store is expected to close in October and the landlord has put the site on the market, Lidl has confirmed.
On hearing the news, one fan of the store posted on Facebook that they were "devastated" to learn it was closing down.
Read More on Lidl
Lidl has said employees will be offered re-employment opportunities elsewhere.
In its search for a new site, Lidl has asked the public for its input in finding a potential location.
Ross Jackson, Lidl’s Head of Property for Scotland said: "As we continue our search for a new site in Gilmerton we would love the public’s help in identifying locations that might not already be on our radar.
"Whilst we’ll be sad to say goodbye to our Drum Street store, we can’t wait to give Gilmerton a bigger and better Lidl, with even greater access to our high-quality affordable products.
“In the meantime, shoppers will still be able to access our newer, much larger store on Straiton Way."
Lidl has its eye open for sites in “prominent locations” which have easy access and strong pedestrian or traffic flow.
A 1.5 acre site is needed for a standalone store or as much as four acres for a mixed-use scheme.
If a suitable site is found, the supermarket will pay a finders’ fee of either 1.5 per cent of the total freehold purchase price, or 10 per cent of the first years rent for leaseholds.
That would work out at £22,500 for a completed 1.5 acre site purchase.
The news comes after it was revealed in April that Lidl was set to open hundreds of new stores across the UK.
The discount supermarket will soon welcome shoppers to new stores across the country, from Bristol in the West Country, Birmingham in the West Midlands and Berwick in Scotland.
In London alone, where Lidl is now the third largest supermarket, it will be opening new stores in Wandsworth, Fulham, Hoxton and Canning Town.
Richard Taylor, chief development officer at Lidl GB, said at the time: "We have also been the fastest growing bricks and mortar supermarket for the past seven months in a row.
"With an exceptional store network and our laser focus on operational excellence, we're welcoming more customers through our doors than ever before, which positions us perfectly for continued expansion.
"We're planning to open hundreds of new Lidl stores but ultimately see no ceiling on our ambition or growth potential."
It comes just months after the discount supermarket chain said that it was looking for £91million in funding to help fund its expansion.
Lidl is looking for investors to build 12 supermarkets, which they can then lease to the supermarket chain to operate on their behalf.
Currently, only 20 per cent of its roughly 960 UK stores are leasehold.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
In a funding pitch seen by The Sun, Lidl is asking 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.