Lidl has been given the green light to build a new £70m head office in London after receiving planning permission from council chiefs.
The discounter will relocate its 450-strong central team from Wimbledon to Tolworth after the Royal Borough of Kingston unanimously voted in favour of the plans.
As previously reported, Lidl had already agreed to acquire the five-acre site from Kingston Council for £10m, on which it plans to create its new 240,000 sq ft headquarters.
Staff are expected to move into the new building, which will have capacity for more than 750 employees, towards the end of 2018.
Lidl has ambitious plans for almost 250 new stores and 5,000 new jobs in the capital as it presses ahead with its rapid expansion.
The discounter, which appointed Christian Härtnagel as its UK chief executive in September to replace Ronny Gottschlich, is in the midst of a £1.5bn investment in its UK business.
Earlier this week the retailer revealed plans to begin operating out of a 187,000 sq ft warehouse in Thurrock, Essex, from Next February.
Lidl opened its largest warehouse in Southampton last month and said it would launch new warehouses in Wednesbury, Exeter and Doncaster, creating 1,500 jobs.
It is also relocating existing fulfilment centres in Weston-super-Mare and Livingston to Bristol and Eurocentral respectively.
Lidl UK board director for expansion and development Ingo Fischer said: “Our new headquarters not only signify an investment in our own infrastructure and workforce, but also highlight our wider investment ambitions within London as Lidl UK continues to experience incredible growth.”
The plans for its new head office will be now be referred to the Mayor of London’s office, but Lidl said it hopes to progress with construction “early in the New Year.”
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