UK | Lidl GB has announced a GBP 500 million sourcing investment in the British berry industry, pledging to increase the volume of UK-grown berries amid rising demand for healthy, home-grown produce.
The investment reflected the value of sourcing contracts with British-based berry suppliers over the next five years, with the discounter signing new five-year agreements to give its suppliers greater certainty to invest and expand amid rising costs and unpredictable weather.
With Lidl GB now the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket, this announcement underscored its continued focus on building long-term partnerships with British suppliers to offer its customers the quality, locally sourced products they demand.
It also reflected the discounter's significant over-index in the category, following the largest year-on-year increase in berry sales last year and its recognition as the British Berry Retailer of the Year.
According to the supermarket, shoppers have increasingly been seeking fresh, healthy foods. Blueberries in particular have become one of Britain’s fastest-growing fruit categories, with Lidl seeing sales of British blueberries surge by more than 200 percent over the last three years.
Blackberries have also seen strong growth, increasing by almost 93 percent over the same period, while Lidl GB’s Deluxe Blush Strawberries saw a 50 percent volume increase last year.
"We are backing British farming with a GBP 500 million vote of confidence in our British berry growers. By extending our long-term agreements, we’re providing the security suppliers need to build a resilient future,” said Richard Bourns, Chief Commercial Officer at Lidl GB.
“It is our clear ambition to be the first-choice partner for British growers. By building a framework that provides long-term security, we enable our growers to confidently invest, innovate, and scale alongside us. And by investing in these partnerships, we are making fresh, healthy produce more accessible to our customers - offering the best British berries at unbeatable prices.”
This long-term sourcing builds on Lidl GB's landmark GBP 30 billion sourcing commitment to the British food and farming industry by 2030, to back a resilient, ethical, sustainable British supply chain.
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