Discount Retail Chain Lidl Spain (owned by the German Schwarz Group) will make a record investment in Spain of 1.5 billion euros (US$1.8billion) in the period 2021-2024, in which it plans to open more than 150 stores and four logistics platforms to accelerate its expansion in the national market.
"We want to promote and accelerate the growth of the company in Spain through a sustainable and continued expansion. We want to position ourselves as the first purchase option for the Spanish consumer", said the general director of expansion & real estate of Lidl Spain, Imanol Zabala.
In this way, the strategic plan of the supermarket chain foresees the opening of 150 establishments and the start-up of four new stores in these four years that will be located in Nanclares de la Oca (Vitoria), which will be inaugurated in October, Escúzar (Granada), Martorell (Barcelona) and Parla (Madrid).
In addition, Lidl foresees the opening of 40 new supermarkets with a record investment of 400 million euros and creating 1,000 new jobs in the national market in the remainder of the year.
The supermarket chain in its acceleration in Spain will seek "always the best location" with metropolitan stores with flexible constructions adapted to a greater available space, in emblematic locations and boost its presence in markets or shopping centers. "We are energizers and we promote the area in which we are because we believe in the neighborhood," Zabala stressed.
In this way, the supermarket chain finalizes the opening of new supermarkets in Spanish markets and does not rule out going hand in hand with promoters to accelerate its growth in the national market or to expand its business beyond 'retail' such as housing developments as the firm has done in other countries.
In their 'roadmap' for the next four years they will focus on growing in the Community of Madrid, since they consider that they have room for growth. "We are committed to all of Spain, but we emphasize Madrid because we see that we have more growth potential here as we are not as well established as in other areas," said the company's general director of expansion.
However, the directors of the firm have made clear the will of the company not to sell any assets despite the interest of funds. "The sale of any of our supermarkets or logistics center assets is not on our horizon. The funds show interest in anything that is reliable," stressed the regional director of Expansión & Inmuebles de Lidl in the Community of Madrid, Albert Lavin.
For his part, Zabala has stressed that the company does not put a ceiling on its growth, which a few years ago had reached 800 stores, a record that it will reach when this strategic plan ends. "We do not have a specific figure set, because we see that we have a lot of growth potential throughout Spain and we will see to what extent the client continues to accept us," he reiterated.
WANTS TO BE THE NUMBER 1 PARTNER OF THE REAL ESTATE SECTOR IN MADRID In this way, the Community of Madrid is Lidl's great bet for its expansion in Spain, where it will open 11 new stores this year, of which six are still pending to open in the remainder of the year and will be located in San Sebastián de los Reyes, Valdemoro, Torrejón de Ardoz, in the Parque Oasis shopping center, Guzmán el Bueno and Marcelo Usera, after making an investment of more than 50 million euros (US$60million).
The regional director of Expansión & Inmuebles of Lidl in the Community of Madrid, Albert Lavin, has specified that in the chain's strategic plan it is planned to launch more than 50 new establishments with an investment of more than 200 million euros (US$240million). In addition, the construction of a new warehouse in Parla, thus creating 1,200 jobs by 2024 only in the Spanish capital.
"As a company we are a guarantee of reliability and solvency for our partners and that is how we want to transmit it to the real estate community of Madrid. We want to be their number one partner and we are looking for long-term partners to help us develop our projects throughout the region", has stressed.
Lavin has specified that the chain is looking for plots from 1,800 square meters and that they adapt to all styles. "We can be partners of people who want to develop a building too and do not know how to develop the ground floor or be partners of developers.
In this way, Lidl will continue to generate wealth and employment in Madrid, where its activity already generates some 12,500 jobs, between direct, indirect and induced, according to a study by the consulting firm PwC. This volume of activity also translates into an impact on the Community's GDP of more than 575 million euros (US$690 million) per year, which represents 0.27% of its total GDP.
The impact generated by Lidl's activity in the Community of Madrid is also transferred to the national level. According to the PwC report, the company contributes more than 5.8 billion euros to GDP each year, which already represents 0.52% of the country's total, and is responsible for some 125,000 jobs, between direct, indirect and induced, a figure that represents 0.63% of the total for Spain.
