Lidl is planning to open a new supermarket in a former H&M store in Bristol’s Broadmead shopping quarter, creating 40 jobs.
H&M’s outlet on Union Street, next door to the Odeon Cinema, did not re-open when other non-essential retailers returned after the second national lockdown in 2020.
The Swedish clothing company has another store in the nearby Cabot Circus shopping centre and in The Mall at Cribbs Causeway.
Lidl, which last year announced major expansion plans to open 1,100 sites across the UK by 2025 and create 4,000 jobs, said it would share more information about the new store closer to its opening, for which it did not provide a specific date.
A spokesperson for Lidl said: “We are very much looking forward to opening our new Lidl supermarket on Union Street, Bristol and are hoping to welcome customers later this summer.
“Once opened, the store will create around 40 new jobs for the local area and we would like to thank everyone for their continued patience and understanding as we progress our new store. We look forward to sharing more information closer to our store opening.”
The former H&M store on Union Street in Broadmead. (Image: Jon Kent/Bristol Live)Lidl’s arrival in Broadmead follows the closure of high profile stores in the retail district, including Debenhams and the M&S department store after nearly 70 years of trading, partly due to consumers shifting towards online shopping in recent years.
Vivienne Kennedy, manager of the Broadmead Business Improvement District, said: “We are, of course, delighted Lidl will be opening in Bristol Shopping Quarter where it will be joining a very wide range of retailers, including around 100 independents. It is sure to be popular with shoppers, particularly those living in the city centre.”
Lidl recently said it was the fastest-growing bricks-and-mortar retailer in the UK during the Christmas period, reporting record footfall – up 14% year-on-year on its busiest day on December 23 – with overall sales growth of 2.6% year-on-year and +21% on a two-year basis.
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