Lidl GB reported turnover above £13 billion for the year to 28 February 2026, up 10.8%, with operating profit of £345 million. The discounter plans to open more than 50 shops this financial year, backed by £600 million of investment, after passing 1,000 UK sites.
The results, published on 5 October, show a grocer growing faster than the market. Turnover rose from £11.7 billion, operating profit from £314 million, and Lidl welcomed 43 million additional customer visits over the year.
It also sold 486 million more units than a year earlier. Lidl became the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket in May 2026, ahead of Morrisons, and three in five households now shop with it.
What Lidl GB reported for the year
Lidl put £315 million into price cuts and promotions and spent £43 million upgrading more than 70 existing shops. It opened over 40 new shops in the year, which took the estate past 1,000.
Sales of its Deluxe range rose 12%, and Lidl Plus membership grew 23%, according to Food Manufacture. Ryan McDonnell, chief executive of Lidl GB, said: “Our performance is a clear testament to the trust that millions of customers place in us every week.”
The 50-shop programme and the gap to Aldi
Lidl says it will open more than 50 shops this financial year and expects the programme to create nearly 2,000 jobs. Retail Gazette reports a market share of 8.7%, up from 8.3%, against 10.6% for Aldi, which narrows the gap to 1.9 percentage points from 2.5.
Aldi has set out its own plan, described by Brit Brief as a £900 million programme for 40 further shops. Retail Gazette counts about 1,010 Lidl sites by September and 1,090 for Aldi.
Good to know
The figures cover the year to 28 February 2026, so the shop numbers quoted for September are later. One outlet, Brit Brief, dates the 50-shop programme to 2027, while Retail Gazette and The Retail Bulletin place it in the current financial year.
British sourcing and the wider grocery market
Lidl GB also reported a rise of £400 million a year in spending with British suppliers, within a £30 billion sourcing pledge over five years. Food Manufacture says about two-thirds of its products now come from British suppliers, and that everyday own-label beef, pork, chicken, milk, butter, cream and eggs are sourced domestically.
The coverage does not link the programme to franchised or symbol-group convenience formats, which trade in the same grocery market, among them the food and drink brands recruiting UK operators.
What to watch from here
The 50 openings are the next measurable marker, and market share will be reported again after later periods of trading. Lidl has not published a site list in the coverage reviewed, so the towns and regions involved have not been confirmed.
Aldi’s 40-shop plan means both discounters are adding to their estates at the same time, each funding its own sites rather than recruiting operators as brands taking on partners in the UK do, so the next share figures will show how the two programmes compare. Retail Gazette also reports that Lidl’s sales grew 8% in recent periods against 0.7% for Aldi.
