Supermarket chain Lidl opened a hattrick of stores in Richmond, Putney and Tooting yesterday, creating around 80 new jobs for south London.
In a first for the retailer, the new store on Richmond Road will have a primary school located above it.
Deer Park Primary School will have a permanent home following completion of construction this week, after spending the last two years looking for a suitable new location.
The new school will welcome over 230 pupils in April and includes 16 classrooms, outdoor learning space and an on-site, multi-use games area.
Lidl GB’s Regional Head of Property, Henry Neel, said: “It is fantastic that despite the challenging circumstances we have been able to continue our investment in south London and enable even more of the local community access to our high quality and affordable produce.
“I would like to welcome the students of Deer Park Primary School to their new home when they make the move this Easter, and to thank everyone who has played a part in delivering this ambitious development.”
Elsewhere in London, new stores have also opened on Putney High Street and Upper Tooting Road.
The new supermarket in Tooting has replaced the existing one on the same road, which closed for the final time on Tuesday 23rd February.
The staff who worked in the closed branch retained their jobs and will now work in the new Tooting store.
All three of the new branches feature facilities including in-house bakeries and ample parking for both cars and bicycles to meet customer demand.
The new stores form part of Lidl’s commitment to expansion in the capital, announced last year, as it looks to invest £500m in new stores across London over the next five years, creating around 1,400 jobs.
The hattrick of new store openings follows the opening of a new Hackbridge store earlier this month.
Customer donations and surplus food from the new stores will also benefit a number of local charities who work to redistribute them to some of the most vulnerable in south west London communities.
Lidl’s Feed it Back scheme, runs alongside its charity partner, Neighbourly.
The schemes will help a number of charities in the area, including Richmond Advice and Information on Disability, The Islamic Culture and Education Centre Battersea and Ronald McDonald House Tooting.
Neel added: “These exciting new store openings demonstrate we’re embracing the wide range of locations that London has to offer to deliver our fresh, quality, and great value produce to even more local communities.
“It is great for us to be able to create more jobs for these areas and support so many fantastic charities at this time.”
Since the opening of the first store in Great Britain in 1994, Lidl has experienced continuous growth and today has over 25,000 employees, over 800 stores and 13 distribution centres in England, Scotland and Wales.
For more information on the new stores, visit: https://www.lidl.co.uk/
