Lidl Bulgaria to open up to ten new stores in 2024

The company will open stores in larger cities like Sofia, Ruse and Burgas and enter smaller towns such as Lom, Kavarna and Karnobat, it said in a press release. The expansion is set to create nearly 200 new jobs, with an additional 90 positions at Lidl's seaside locations during the summer.

Lidl Bulgaria invests some 14 million levs ($7.7 million/7.2 million euro) on average in the construction of each new facility, it said.

This year, the company is also increasing its investments nearly eight times compared to 2023, allocating funds to enhancing customer experience in existing locations and improving energy efficiency. The investments will include equipment upgrades and installing photovoltaics and self-service checkouts at its stores.

Last month, the retailer opened its fourth store in Sofia's western district of Lyulin, investing over 15 million levs in the project.

Lidl is one of Europe's largest food retailers and operates in 31 countries. In Bulgaria, the chain has 125 stores in 54 cities, employing over 4,000 staff.

(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)