Local residents received a pre-Christmas boost when it was announced that the Welling branch of Lidl would reopen in November. The store, which was closed in January for refurbishment, will reopen in good time for Christmas shoppers to stock up on continental food and drink at Upper Wickham Lane. Initially, there were rumours of building problems involving the nearby railway station and / or underground water sources, but luckily building hasn’t been overly disrupted.
The German retailer launched in the UK in 1994 and now has over 650 stores in this country. Their no-frills approach has led to them becoming the 5th largest retailer in the world, with sales of $82.4 billion (2011).
Neighbours of the store will be pleased that the noise and disruption caused by site traffic will soon be coming to an end. The nearest Lidl stores during the Welling branch closure have been the branches at Thamesmead and the recently-opened branch at Bexleyheath.
Lidl is the third major supermarket in Welling, with Morrison’s and Tesco on the high street, so the new store may help business grow.
The refurbishment is part of Lidl’s reported £1.5 billion store expansion which aims to add toilets and self-checkouts along with forty to fifty new stores a year.
It is hoped among local residents that many new jobs will be created by the reopening of the store, offering some Christmas time vacancies.
The grand opening of the new store is on the 30th November when local shoppers can access the new supermarket for the first time.
Liberty King Welling Secondary School
