Lidl: Supermarket giant to close Gosport store which has been open for 25 years as it eyes potential new shops

Lidl has announced that it’s closing the shop in Forton Road later this month. A spokeswoman for the German discount chain said: ‘The store on Forton Road will be closing on May 28 after 25 years of service.

‘We have a newer store just two mins away off Fareham Road, which connects to Forton Road.’ Lidl is going through a major reshuffle as it looks to carry out ambitious expansion plans.

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The business is planning on opening new sites in Portsmouth, Fareham and across Hampshire amid a rapid rise in sales last year – increasing by 26 per cent in 2022.

Part of these proposals is to relocate specific shops. The supermarket confirmed last Friday that the location in London Road, Cowplain, would be closing. Lidl said they wanted to open another store nearby.

The spokeswoman said similar proposals are planned for Gosport. She added: ‘Gosport is on our site requirements list and our teams are actively looking for sites in Gosport for a new Lidl store.’

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Employees at the Forton Road shop would be redeployed if possible, the spokeswoman said. Lidl opened 50 new supermarkets last year and 15 across the UK in the past three months.

As previously reported in The News, LIdl GB CEORyan McDonnell said: ‘The last few years have been challenging for everyone, but we’ve made it clear that we’re more committed than ever to ensuring that every single household has access to a Lidl store.’