German global discount supermarket chain, Lidl is planning to open a new store in Rotherham as part of significant national expansion plans.
Launching in the UK in September 1994, Lidl has grown consistently, and today has 670 stores - with one on the edge of Rotherham town centre.
Now, consultants for the supermarket, Walshingham Planning, has opened discussions with Rotherham Council over a proposed new store on the site of Dalton Progressive Working Men's Club in Dalton.
The building has been vacated after the club fell into administration and the site of the proposed store includes land to the north and west of the empty building.
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Details submitted to the Council show that the store would be around 22,000 sq ft, providing 14,000 sq ft of sales floorspace. 80% of which would be used for convenience goods and 20% for seasonal non-food items. A 132 space car park is also being planned.
The new Lidl store would create around 40 jobs.
Laura Beech, a consultant at Walshingham Planning, said in correspondence with Council: "The proposal is to demolish the vacant club building and erect a new A1 foodstore, to be occupied by Lidl and which will function as a new neighbourhood discount foodstore.
"The proposals will secure redevelopment of the site, bringing it back into active economic use and generating employment for the local area. The store will also help claw back trade that currently flows to the out-of-centre superstores, and will provide an accessible and sustainably-located facility."
Applicants will need to prove that retail use is acceptable. The site is currently zoned for business use but is being put forward for residential use in the new local plan which is close to adoption.
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Documents filed when the club entered administration show that a £410,000 deal was secured in 2016 with a local housebuilder for the land at Doncaster Road. The prospective purchaser later withdrew the offer.
The documents also show that the site went back on the market with a "national retailer" showing interest. Contracts for the land are set to be exchanged once planing permission is secured.
In July, Lidl discussed its aggressive expansion with a plan to roll-out "at least one shop a week" with investment of £1.45bn between now and 2019.
According to analysts, Kantar Worldpanel, Lidl recently pipped Aldi to the title of the UK's fastest growing supermarket for the first time since March, with sales growth of 18.8% just ahead of the latter's 18.7%. Both retailers continue to gain market share – combined, the two have gained 1.4 percentage points since June 2016 and now hold 5.0% and 6.9% respectively.
In Rotherham, Aldi recently opened new stores in Parkgate and Bramley and has updated plans for further new stores in Maltby and at Swallownest.
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