BUDGET supermarket giant Lidl is aiming to open a number of new stores in Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire.

New plans from the retailer has detailed scores of towns and cities where it plans to open stores in the coming months.

In Dorset, it has picked out a number of potential sites for new stores including in Poole, Corfe Mullen, Swanage, Wareham and Wimborne. The chain also wants to open a branch in nearby Lymington.

In Wiltshire, it is aiming to open a new store in west Salisbury, while in Somerset, Lidl wants branches in Bath, Cheddar, Keynsham, Nailsea, Weston, and Shepton Mallet.

The plans come as the German-based chain highlighted 43 communities where it hopes to continue expanding in the coming months as part of a £500 million investment.

Lidl now wants to hear from landowners and agents who may have sites suitable for the new supermarkets.

It is keen to hear about sites with easy access and strong pedestrian or traffic flow, suitable for stores ranging from 18,000 to 26,500 sq ft in size.

Richard Taylor, chief real estate officer at Lidl GB, said: “This level of investment is a clear sign of our ambition.

“As we enter our fourth decade in Great Britain and hurtle towards a thousand stores, there are still so many parts of the country crying out for convenient access to a Lidl store.

“That’s why we welcome the measures proposed in the Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill – they recognise the urgent need to remove barriers to development and support the kind of growth we at Lidl are working towards.

“Our latest site requirements brochure reinforces the scale of our ambition for the future.

“New Lidl stores mean new jobs, new opportunities for British suppliers, and continued investment into local economies.

“We’re proud to be one of the fastest-growing supermarkets in the country, and with this investment, we’re taking another big step in our journey.”

Dorset towns and cities where Lidl wants to open in the next year:

• Corfe Mullen
• Poole
• Swanage
• Wareham
• Wimborne

Somerset towns and cities where Lidl wants to open in the next year:

• Bath (x3)
• Cheddar
• Nailsea
• Shepton Mallet
• Weston-super-Mare

Wiltshire towns where Lidl wants to open in the coming year:

• Salisbury
• Marlborugh
• Trowbrdge
• Wroughton