A new Lidl — the fourth in Croydon — opened its doors for the first time Thursday (August 5).

The supermarket giant said it was part of an "ongoing £1.3bn expansion and regeneration plans across Great Britain for 2021 and 2022", adding that the store would "create around 40 new jobs for the local community".

The new supermarket boasts a sales area of 1,275m² and features facilities including an in-store bakery, customer toilets and ample parking for both cars and bicycles.

The success of the supermarket giant in Croydon stands in contrast to a number of smaller independent businesses in the borough that have struggled in recent years, as is evident amid the closed store fronts on Croydon high street at present.

Lidl for their part meanwhile described the outreach they planned ahead of the first day of trading for the new Purley Way store, as a spokesperson described:

"The new store will be providing surplus produce and customer donations to local charities, including Caridon Foundation, Esther Community Enterprise, Torchlight Ministries, Palmer House and Operation Love Thy Neighbour; all of which work to redistribute the surplus food to some of the most vulnerable in the local community.

"This is delivered through Lidl’s Feed it Back scheme, which is run in partnership with Neighbourly and connects Lidl stores up and down the country with local charities, foodbanks, community cafes and kitchens, putting quality food surplus to good use every day," a statement from the company read.

Lidl GB’s Regional Head of Property, Henry Neel, added: "We would like to thank all those who have played a part in bringing this new Lidl store to Purley Way. It is fantastic that we are able to continue our investment in Croydon, delivering our fourth store to the area and enabling even more of the local community access to our multi-award winning products. We are delighted to be able to create more jobs and investment opportunities in the area and look forward to welcoming everyone to our new store."