Work is well under way on the new discount supermarket at Sandford in Dorset, but the store chain Lidl says delays mean it won’t be open until ‘early 2026’.
This means Purbeck shoppers will still need to make a long round trip to fill their cupboards with discount festive food for Christmas 2025.
Work is progressing but it’s still going to take a while to complete
New access road to take longer than expected
Preparation work on the site off the Sibley Pottery roundabout, didn’t begin until early June 2025, as an ecological survey to make sure there were no rare reptiles on the three acre plot took a while to complete.
It has since been cleared, cranes and diggers have been on site, and the foundation slab has been laid.
But there is still a long way to go to put up the supermarket structure, including the plumbing and electrics, as well as installing the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
Even then, the fit-out phase for the interior design and finish, fixtures and equipment, lighting, security and the till checkouts will take at least a further 12 weeks – and a new access road off the busy A351 will also take longer than expected.
It means Lidl bosses have conceded that with at least four full months of work ahead, the new store cannot be completed by December 2025.
Lidl isn’t yolking … but sadly its Sandford store won’t be open in time for Christmas
“On track to open early next year”
James Mitchell, regional head of property at Lidl GB, said:
“We are incredibly excited to be a step closer in joining the local community in Sandford with our first ever store in Purbeck, but sadly we won’t be open before the new year.
“The level of support from the community has been remarkable, and it reinforces our commitment to ensuring that everyone, wherever they live, has access to high quality food at the best possible prices.
“A new Lidl store in Purbeck will be hugely beneficial to those who live and work within the area, creating 40 new, local jobs, bringing investment and also ensuring local residents don’t have to make a 34-mile round trip for discount prices.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported us in our journey so far, we can’t wait to welcome you all through our doors, which are on track to open early next year.
“We still have big ambitions for expansion, and plan to open hundreds more Lidl stores in the future. Our teams are constantly looking for new sites, in towns where we don’t currently have stores, and also in areas where existing stores have increasing demand.”
A new access road off the Sibley Roundabout will take longer to construct than initially anticipated
“Hope local schools will join Foodies programme”
James Mitchell added:
“We calculate that the new store will reduce local vehicle journeys by over 1.5 million miles a year, saving over 400 tonnes of carbon.
“Social responsibility and sustainability are at the core of our daily operations, and we place a strong emphasis on our responsibility for people, society, and the environment.
“Lidl GB is passionate about working with British producers and we source two thirds of all our products from British suppliers.
“We are putting in plenty of parking for cars and bicycles at Sandford, and we will help meet the need for more electric vehicle charging points in Purbeck by including rapid chargers, while solar panels on the roof will help power the store.
“We also hope that local primary schools will join our Lidl Foodies programme, a free initiative to help children across the country develop a love for healthy eating, with a focus on fresh fruit and veg.
“Lidl has invested an initial £500,000 in the scheme over two years, and just under 10 percent of primary schools in the country are already on board, so we hope local teachers will sign up via the National Schools Partnership website before we open in early 2026.”
Lidl moved onto the Sandford site in June 2025, after extensive reptile surveys took a while to complete
By Tuesday 19th August 2025, construction work had begun
During August 2025, an impressively large crane was on site
Work was progressing by the end of August 2025
Unlikely impulse purchases
The Lidl at Sandford will provide 1,411m square metres of floor space and will include customer toilets with baby changing facilities, one of the store’s instore bakeries and the hugely popular middle aisle of Lidl, which sells unlikely impulse purchases, from power tools to paddleboards and trumpets to portable toilets.
Since establishing itself in the UK in 1994, Lidl has boomed and today has more than 35,000 employees, nearly 1,000 stores and 14 distribution centres in England, Scotland and Wales.
It was recently crowned the UK’s cheapest supermarket by consumer group Which?, following a monthly price comparison across eight major retailers.
And for the 40 new employees, wages will be at least £13 an hour, a market leading sum (the national living wage is currently £12.21 an hour, or £10 for 18 to 20 year olds), marking Lidl’s fifth pay rise in two years.
Further information
- Find out more about the Lidl Foodies scheme
