Thursday 27 November 2025
Lidl has hit a major milestone in Britain today, opening its 1,000th UK store in East Grinstead, Sussex – and it’s celebrating in a very sweet way.
To mark the occasion, the discounter is giving away 1,000 free “Lidl Gingerbread Store” kits from 10am today (27 November), with ten of those kits hiding £100 Lidl Plus vouchers for a handful of lucky shoppers. [1]
Across social media, regional outlets and community pages have been teasing the giveaway with the line “Lidl shoppers are in for a few treats this festive season”, fuelling excitement ahead of this morning’s drop. [2]
1,000th Lidl store opens in East Grinstead
Lidl’s landmark 1,000th UK store officially opens its doors today on London Road in East Grinstead, West Sussex. Local coverage confirms the grand opening at 8am, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony involving pupils from Blackwell Primary School and complimentary food and prizes for early visitors. [3]
The new shop features:
- Around 1,373m² of sales space
- Lidl’s popular in‑store bakery
- The “Middle of Lidl” aisle for rotating specialbuys
- Customer toilets with baby‑changing facilities
- Ample parking for cars and bikes
- Electric vehicle chargers
- Up to 40 new local jobs, with colleagues benefitting from Lidl’s recently announced £13.00 national hourly rate. [4]
A Lidl spokesperson for the region said the team is “thrilled to be joining the community in East Grinstead” and eager to welcome the first shoppers through the doors, emphasising the store’s role in supporting the local economy and families. [5]
The opening caps more than three decades of expansion since Lidl first entered the UK market in 1994. According to Lidl GB, the retailer now employs over 35,000 people, runs more than 980 stores plus 13 distribution centres across Great Britain, and forms part of the Schwarz Group’s wider network of around 12,600 stores in 31 countries. [6]
Separate industry reporting highlights that Lidl has recently been the UK’s fastest-growing grocery retailer, is on track to overtake Morrisons to become the country’s fifth-largest grocer, and sees potential for “hundreds more stores” on top of this 1,000‑store milestone. [7]
Free Lidl Gingerbread Store kits drop at 10am today
To celebrate the 1,000th store, Lidl is releasing 1,000 free “Lidl Gingerbread Store” kits online at 10am today (Thursday 27 November 2025). [8]
The kits are:
- Completely free (no purchase required, according to deal and student money sites)
- Limited to 1,000 units nationwide
- Available only while stocks last, with multiple deal pages warning they will “go in seconds” once the clock hits 10am. [9]
Shoppers are directed to the dedicated website lidlgingerbreadstore.co.uk from 10am to claim a kit. [10]
How to try to get a free kit
Based on Lidl’s own announcement and multiple promotion sites, here’s how today’s drop works: [11]
- Set a reminder before 10:00
The offer is scheduled to go live at 10am on Thursday 27 November 2025. Being a few minutes early could make the difference. - Go to the official promotion site
Visit lidlgingerbreadstore.co.uk when the promotion opens. Some deal portals link directly to the page and encourage users to hit “remind me” beforehand. - Be prepared for limited availability
Only 1,000 kits are available across the UK. Lidl and money‑saving sites stress that they’re first come, first served and expected to sell out extremely quickly. - Check the terms and conditions
Any limits (such as one kit per household) and eligibility criteria will be confirmed on Lidl’s official promotion page at the time of entry.
What’s inside the Lidl Gingerbread Store kit?
The free gingerbread kits are modelled on the new East Grinstead store and designed as a festive “B‑IY” (build‑it‑yourself) project for families and Lidl fans. [12]
Across Lidl’s press materials and today’s coverage, each kit is described as including:
- Handmade gingerbread panels for walls and roof
- Smooth icing for assembly and decoration
- Candy cane “bollards” to recreate the store entrance
- Edible Lidl billboards and signage
- Chocolate decorations and other finishing touches
The kits were crafted with the help of Sussex‑based gingerbread specialist Fay Miller, who has also created a larger, highly detailed gingerbread replica of the East Grinstead store. That full‑size gingerbread model is due to be displayed inside the new branch throughout the festive period, giving shoppers an up‑close look at the confectionery version of the 1,000th store. [13]
Ten kits hide £100 Lidl Plus vouchers
To add an extra thrill to the giveaway, ten of the 1,000 kits conceal £100 Lidl Plus vouchers. [14]
- The vouchers are tucked inside a small number of kits at random.
- Winners can put the £100 towards their big Christmas shop, making the giveaway not just a fun activity but a meaningful saving during the festive season.
- Student and deal websites have highlighted the voucher element as the main reason to set alarms and act fast this morning. [15]
Lidl GB’s Marketing Director, Joanna Gomer, has called the 1,000th store a “huge milestone” and said the gingerbread campaign is designed to celebrate “in a way that everyone across the country can enjoy”, noting that Lidl’s gingerbread houses are already a customer favourite each Christmas. [16]
‘Lidl shoppers are in for a few treats this festive season’
The excitement isn’t just coming from Lidl itself. Local media and community pages from Liverpool to Bristol have been sharing the message “Lidl shoppers are in for a few treats this festive season”, often linking to articles about the hidden £100 vouchers and free gingerbread kits. [17]
Facebook posts and freebie groups have:
- Flagged the 10am launch time
- Warned that kits are likely to disappear in seconds
- Encouraged followers to set alarms, pre‑load the page and have details ready
Examples include posts from local “What’s On” pages, student discount communities and dedicated freebie groups, all amplifying Lidl’s promotion and helping it trend in shopping and lifestyle feeds this morning. [18]
What today’s milestone says about Lidl’s UK ambitions
Behind the gingerbread fun lies a serious growth story.
- The East Grinstead opening marks Lidl’s 1,000th UK store, roughly 31 years after its British debut. [19]
- Lidl has signalled that it intends to accelerate its store opening programme, targeting around 40 new sites per year and seeing scope for “hundreds more stores” nationwide. [20]
- A recent Lidl report highlighted a contribution of £14.5bn in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the British economy in FY24, supporting more than 280,000 jobs directly and indirectly, and investing £5.8bn in British food through its supply chain. [21]
Industry analysis notes that Lidl is currently the fastest‑growing major grocer in the UK, putting pressure on traditional supermarkets and positioning the discounter to overtake Morrisons as the country’s fifth‑largest grocery chain. [22]
Promotions like today’s gingerbread giveaway play into a broader strategy:
- Strengthening brand warmth – using playful, highly shareable campaigns around key milestones
- Reinforcing value credentials – £100 vouchers and free kits resonate strongly in a cost‑of‑living squeeze
- Driving traffic – both online (via the giveaway site) and in‑store (especially at the new East Grinstead branch)
Key details at a glance
- What’s happening today?
Lidl opens its 1,000th UK store on London Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex, with doors from 8am. [23] - What’s the giveaway?
1,000 free Lidl Gingerbread Store kits modelled on the new store, available online from 10am, Thursday 27 November 2025. [24] - Where do I get one?
Through lidlgingerbreadstore.co.uk, while stocks last. - What’s inside?
Gingerbread panels, icing, edible Lidl billboards, candy cane bollards, chocolate decorations and full instructions. [25] - Any extra prizes?
Ten kits include hidden £100 Lidl Plus vouchers, redeemable against future shops. [26] - Why now?
The promotion celebrates Lidl’s 1,000th UK store and underlines its continued expansion and investment in the British market. [27]
As of this morning, the combination of a milestone store opening, free gingerbread kits and the chance of a £100 Christmas saving means Lidl really is delivering on the promise that shoppers are “in for a few treats this festive season”.
References
1. corporate.lidl.co.uk, 2. www.facebook.com, 3. www.sussexexpress.co.uk, 4. www.sussexexpress.co.uk, 5. www.sussexexpress.co.uk, 6. corporate.lidl.co.uk, 7. www.kamcity.com, 8. corporate.lidl.co.uk, 9. www.savethestudent.org, 10. corporate.lidl.co.uk, 11. corporate.lidl.co.uk, 12. corporate.lidl.co.uk, 13. corporate.lidl.co.uk, 14. corporate.lidl.co.uk, 15. www.savethestudent.org, 16. corporate.lidl.co.uk, 17. www.facebook.com, 18. www.facebook.com, 19. www.kamcity.com, 20. www.kamcity.com, 21. www.grocerygazette.co.uk, 22. www.kamcity.com, 23. www.sussexexpress.co.uk, 24. corporate.lidl.co.uk, 25. corporate.lidl.co.uk, 26. corporate.lidl.co.uk, 27. corporate.lidl.co.uk
