Wincanton Supermarket to get a Lidl Bit Bigger

The Wincanton branch of Lidl is still relatively new to the Wincanton scene. This branch is termed a “non-concept store”, and is one of the smallest Lidl stores in the country. However, since opening for business it has grown steadily, and the current building has now been deemed by Lidl to be unfit for the level of business now being achieved.

It may be a bit of a strange way to measure business growth, but from the perspective of a regular visitor, a couple of years ago the Lidl car park would be around 30% full during shop hours. More recently it seems to be more like 60/70% full, and they have to open extra tills more regularly to cope with the increased footfall. The recent installation of an in-house bakery accounted for a further significant rise in turnover.

To take account of this growth in business Lidl successfully obtained planning permission to extend the store. Work has now begun to extend the sales area by 363 square metres. This substantial increase in floor space will upgrade Lidl Wincanton to one of their smallest concept stores. “Concept Store” means that the finished Wincanton store will comply with the latest spec from one of their standard new-build designs.

The extension will allow Lidl to hold significantly more stock across the board. Jay Jones, the Lidl construction contract manager from the Weston-Super-Mare area office, said that the goal is to complete the works and be open for business in time for the ever-busy Christmas season.

With this major extension Lidl will also refurbish the entire floor area, including the installation of new display equipment. At the appropriate time this will mean that the store will have to close for a period to allow the refurbishment team unrestricted access and time to complete the work. The end result will be a substantially bigger and better stocked Lidl’s.

It’s been hard to miss the recent media reports telling us that the major players in the supermarket industry have been reporting reduced profits. The only two major outlets bucking the trend are Lidl and their fellow German company Aldi. Those major players are all now becoming more aggressive, telling us that they are now even cheaper than before, in a bid to win back our hard earned cash.

We could be in for a battle royal between the Wincanton branches of Lidl and Morrisons for your business. Watch this space.

Comments

mandycochrane
Posts: 2

Good News
Reply #1 on : Mon July 07, 2014, 18:47:42

---

I'm really pleased about this expansion. We've gradually bought more and more of our weekly shop from Lidls, as we came to enjoy and trust the less well-known brands they sometimes sell, and they cut a big slice off our weekly supermarket spend. Sorry to say, Morrisons just hasn't been the same since they had that big move around of all their stock a couple of years ago.

John Holman
Posts: 2

Lidl expansion
Reply #2 on : Tue July 08, 2014, 12:52:49

---

The expansion of Lidl is yet another nail in the coffin of the High Street. The wealth of the local community leeches out through the exported profits of the Supermarkets. The siting of the Supermarkets on the edge of town encourages the use of cars for shopping and the quality of the environment at the main portal to the town is an architectural disaster with acres of car-parking and poor standard, shed-style buildings and international corporate badging which robs the area of any form of local distinctiveness. Supermarkets employ less people pro rata than High Street shops. The quality and, indeed, safety of the products is questionable as demonstrated by the recent horse meat debacle. I’m aware that I will be accused of adopting a Canute-like position but I am not ready to give up on the idea of the High Street as the centre of a vibrant community. As it may be known that I am a member of the Town Team I should make it clear that the opinions above are my own and do not represent the views or policies of the Town Team. If you feel as I do that the town is worth expending a bit of effort on there you will always be welcome to join the town team.

mandycochrane
Posts: 2

Supermarket in town?
Reply #3 on : Tue July 08, 2014, 18:21:26

---

In Nick Colbert's recent article, A Framework for making Wincanton a better place, (http://www.wincantonwindow.co.uk/a-framework-for-making-wincanton-a-better-place.htm) he said:

"There are two sites identified in a report by GVA Grimley (property consultants) on behalf of SSDC where a large retailer could be accommodated back in the town centre.

"I have emailed Morrisons, who apparently would like a larger store in Wincanton, to inform them of the opportunity to move "back into town" with the opportunity to have a larger, state of the art store"

I'd be very interested to know where on earth there is the space, in the town centre, to accommodate a larger space than Morrisons currently has, with the parking that's necessary to accompany it. Can Nick drop some hints?

Believe me, if the town centre met my needs, I'd shop there in an instant, but when it comes to my weekly food shop, the Co-op is nothing more than a large convenience store (poorly stocked, over-priced and with low grade fruit and veg and very little fresh meat) and the smaller food retailers are shut when I need them to be open. It's a harsh reality for small independents, whom I admire for the quality of their produce and their service, but supermarkets do satisfy the modern day needs of their customers.

johnsmith
Posts: 2

Nail in the Coffin? I don't think so.
Reply #4 on : Wed July 09, 2014, 16:41:27

---

I disagree with John H on this one. We have a growing selection of excellent shops in our High Street. Yes we have some gaps, and I expect that we will always have some gaps. We need to expand the number of niche shops in the High Street to make Wincanton one of the most interesting places to shop in the area.

Our current Town centre supermarket hasn't been as good as hoped. There are people working hard to find and attract new businesses to the party, but in the current financial climate they are being understandably cautious.

Criticism is important, as long as it is constructive. Empty criticism only destroys. We need to hear suggestions about the businesses you think would compliment our High Street, and be sustainable in a town like Wincanton. All suggestions will be seriously considered.

John Holman
Posts: 2

Lidl expansion
Reply #5 on : Tue July 15, 2014, 19:58:27

---

The main problem we have with the High Street is the lack of footfall and I don't see how an expansion of one of our edge-of-town supermarkets can possibly help. I have heard a range of suggestions for shops that people would like to see in the High Street but they will only come if there is evidence that people will use them. It's just my impression but the offer from the Co-op when it first opened was better than it is now but their footfall declined when the health centre relocated and a shop can only stock what it can turn over. Less customers, less products. I trust that you are not accusing me of "empty criticism" John. My efforts are all directed towards restoring the High Street to something approaching its former glory and it is frustrating when people embrace changes that make this an ever more distant dream. Perhaps you can change my mind on this by pointing out how the developments down at the Morrisons site benefits the High Street and our friends and neighbours who are trying to make a go of their businesses.

johnsmith
Posts: 2

Lidl Expansion
Reply #6 on : Thu July 17, 2014, 10:38:49

---

Hi John. The last thing I want to do is accuse anyone of empty criticism. As you know WBT has been working very hard for some years now to try and encourage the High Street

Login to comment!