Lidl customers in the South-West will bid farewell to yet another branch this month.
The low-cost supermarket has been a pillar in Barnstaple for 25 years, attracting loyal locals from the town.
But the shop has now confirmed its retail park store on Station Road, Stickepath, will no longer be open to customers beyond June 2024.
Not to be confused with a nearby site on Old Station Road, the store set to close its doors is one of two in the area, so shoppers won’t be left without entirely without a Lidl.
But it hasn’t softened the blow to fans of the brand who have seen several Lidl stores axed in the region.
Earlier this year, Devon lost another long-established Lidl store in the seaside resort of Paignton. Customers said they were unhappy to see the Victoria Centre supermarket axed as it was well-connected to other town centre shops.
Speaking on the latest loss of the Barnstaple retail park branch, a Lidl spokesperson said: “We can confirm that the lease of our store on Station Road is coming to an end, and it has been proposed that the store, which first opened its doors almost a quarter of a century ago, will close at the end of June.”
It’s not all bad news though, as residents have been reassured by the low-cost supermarket that other nearby stores will remain open for business, including a “newer, larger” site.
The new store on Gratton Way is just a seven-minute drive from the Barnstaple retail park site, or eight minutes by car from the Old Station Road branch.
It’s a little further for those who don’t have access to a car; 34 minutes on foot, or 11 minutes by bus.
Lidl’s Gratton Way location is part of the brand’s initiative to open hundreds of new stores across the country and create thousands of new jobs in turn.
The chain, which is part of the Schwarz retail group, has published a list of desired locations for potential new stores, including over 30 across Devon, Plymouth and Cornwall.
Lidl has publicised plans to find new sites with “easy access and strong traffic flow”. The discount store said sites should allow for unit sizes between 18,000 and 26,500 sq ft and over 100 dedicated car parking spaces.
Lidl noted that it would consider freehold, leasehold or long leasehold opportunities.
