How to save money at Lidl

| Edited by Tom Church

Updated 11th February 2021

Do you want to save money on your next visit to Lidl? Latest Deals has gathered all the information you need to make the most of your Lidl shopping experience. Learn how to save money on your Lidl grocery shopping and much more.

In this guide

What is Lidl?

Lidl is a German international discount supermarket chain with more than 10,000 stores around Europe and in the United States.

Lidl's main competitor is Aldi, also a German international discount supermarket chain which is very popular. Lidl was founded in 1973 to “copy” Aldi in Germany. In 1994, Lidl opened its first store in the UK.

Lidl sells food and drinks, but also: cleaning supplies, alcoholic beverages, health and beauty products, baby products, pet products, flowers and others. Lidl also sells some household products and electronics.

Who owns Lidl?

Lidl belongs to the Schwarz Group. This is the fourth-largest retailer in the world, behind Walmart, Amazon and Costco. Lidl has surpassed Aldi in yearly revenue, which is the eighth-largest retailer in the world.

Where is Lidl?

Lidl is spread out around Europe and in the United States. Germany has the highest number of stores in the world followed by France. In third place comes the UK.

How many Lidl stores are there in the UK?

At the moment, there are more than 750 Lidl stores in the UK. Lidl has been consistently investing in opening stores in the British market due to its popularity.

Where is my nearest Lidl?

The best place to find your nearest Lidl is by accessing its store finder here.

Lidl Opening Hours

What time does Lidl open?

Most Lidl stores open around 7 AM during weekdays and on Saturdays.

This can change depending on the location or if it’s a national holiday.

It’s very common for supermarkets in the UK to open later on Sundays. On Sundays, Lidl usually opens around 10 AM.

Check with your local branch before you go.

What time does Lidl close?

Most Lidl stores close around 11 PM during the week and on Saturdays.

This can change depending on the location or if it’s a national holiday.

It’s very common for supermarkets in the UK to close earlier on Sundays. On Sundays, Lidl usually closes around 7 PM.

Check with your local branch before you go.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When planning your next Lidl physical visit, consider these opening times to avoid finding them closed

How to save money at Lidl? 6 ways to save money on your Lidl shopping

Do you want to save money at Lidl? Lidl is already a discount supermarket and your shopping there will be cheaper than other supermarkets, but there are even more ways to save money when you shop there. Latest Deals have selected 6 ways to save money on your Lidl shopping, check them out below:

Middle aisle of Lidl

Located at the middle of any Lidl store, you will find a selection of random products at good prices. These products can be usually branded food and drinks or household items much cheaper than usually sold for. You can check in advance to see what is going to be on sale that week. You can find wonderful deals here.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It’s in the Middle of Lidl that you will find Lidl’s baby sale events. This refreshes every Thursday and Sunday. Keep in mind these dates to not miss anything. We definitely recommend checking out these deals.

Pick of the week

Another way to save money at Lidl is with the discounted selection of fruits, vegetables, meat and fish that happens every Thursday.

It usually includes a selection of 12 products on sale, which can be handy if you want to meal prep and make your grocery list even cheaper. You can also check these deals in advance of what is going to be on sale.

Lidl Plus

Recently, Lidl has created its reward and cashback program called Lidl Plus. With the Plus Card, you can save even more money when shopping at Lidl.

At the moment, when you subscribe to this program, you can get access to four new discount vouchers every week. When you spend £200 per month, you can get a £10 off coupon. You can also get virtual scratch cards with a chance to win up to £20 off on your next shop.

With the card, you can keep a better track of your spending with virtual receipts. It’s a good deal to get one today. You just need to download the Lidl Plus App on your phone, register and start using it every time you go shopping.

Click here to download the app on your Android.

Click here to download the app on your iOS.

Early morning discounts

At Lidl, you have more luck to find discounts early in the morning. Remember that Lidl stores open at 7 AM from Monday to Saturday, so if you are an early bird you can save more money there. On Sundays and during bank holidays, you can find the stores open from 10 AM.

Wonky vegetables and fruits boxes

At Lidl, you can also find wonky boxes which are only £1.50 per box with 5 kilograms of food. This is one of the cheapest wonky vegetables and fruit boxes available in the market at the moment. These boxes also bring more variety when compared to other supermarkets.

Subscribe to Lidl’s Newsletter

Lidl has some exclusive offers for its email subscribers, so make sure you subscribe today. You will receive a new email twice a week.

Interesting facts about Lidl - Things that are different at Lidl when you compare to other supermarkets in the UK

If you shop at Lidl or are thinking about starting shopping there, learn about these facts to make the most of your shopping experience:

Fact #1: Most Lidl stores are smaller than the “usual” British supermarkets

When you compare Lidl to Tesco and Sainsburys, for example, you will see that most of its stores are much smaller.

Fact #2: Every store has a bakery with fresh goodies daily

At Lidl’s bakery, you can get the cheapest and freshest croissants in the UK. Highly recommended!

Fact #3: Prices are cheaper there

You will definitely save more money when you shop at Lidl. The prices are cheaper. If you are on a budget, don’t think twice.

Fact #4: Cheaper prices don’t mean worse quality

Some of the products sold at Lidl have won awards for its quality.

Fact #5: Buy your flowers and plants there

If you are looking for flowers and plants with quality, you need to buy your flowers and plants at Lidl. You will find a new selection of flowers and plants every week.

Fact #6: Be aware of the limited offers

You need to be quick at Lidl. If you find something you want at a good price, don’t think twice because it might be gone if you leave it for later. It happens more often than you imagine.

Fact #7: You can also get some good luxurious items

Lidl is the opposite of M&S and Waitrose, but you still can find some good luxurious items for a more affordable price. Shop the Deluxe Range.

Fact #8: You can also get some healthier options

You can buy some really good healthy staples there for a much cheaper price, such as coconut sugar, coconut flour, coconut water, coconut oil, peanut butter crunchy and smooth, frozen fruits, ready smoothies, juices, ginger shots and many others. There are also ready meals available with fewer calories.

Fact #9: The price labels may be on the shelf above

Usually, the price labels are placed on the shelf below, but at Lidl and Aldi, you maybe find them above.

Fact #10: Most of Lidl’s products are displayed in the original boxes

This also can be found in other British supermarkets, but in the past, this was a characteristic of discount supermarkets.

Fact #11: Lidl Lupilu is a good baby’s product range

Lidl Lupilu is Lidl’s baby’s product range. Within this range, you can find everything a baby will need from early days until toddler years. This range is recognised and recommended by mums around the UK. Made by Mums and Mother and Baby, two of the biggest parents websites in the UK have given Lupilu multiple awards over the years.

Fact #12: Toiletries are more limited at Lidl

If you are looking to get toiletries there, you need to keep in mind that you might not find everything you want. If the store is smaller, it’s very unlikely that you will find it. You might have more luck at bigger stores. When well-stocked, this area has good deals.

How good are Lidl stores?

According to Which.co.uk, Lidl has a 6.7 grade out of 10 regarding the overall quality of its stores, which is not bad considering that Lidl is a discount supermarket. Lidl was elected the cheapest supermarket in the UK in 2020, followed by Aldi.

To avoid stress when shopping at Lidl, we recommend going there with your grocery list in hand, after checking online for the deals you will find. Getting there early is better. If you know what you want and there are fewer people at the store, you will have a smoother experience. Make your life easier and save money!

Which is better, Lidl or Aldi? Which is cheaper, Lidl or Aldi?

As mentioned before, Aldi is Lidl’s biggest competition. In the UK market, Which.co.uk has elected Lidl as cheaper than Aldi in 2020. Aldi has a better grade than Lidl, with 7.1 out of 10. Read here more information about How good Aldi stores are. Based on this, Lidl is cheaper, but Aldi is better.

IMPORTANT NOTE: These two supermarkets are good and you can find some good deals on both. We recommend visiting both Lidl and Aldi to make the most of their products and prices.

Lidl’s Own-brand Food Ranges

Almost all products sold by Lidl are own-brand. When they aren’t own-branded, they are from a brand that’s only sold there. At Lidl, you can find a good selection of vegetables and fruits, fresh meat and fish, baked goods baked daily more than once a day, chilled and frozen items, eggs and food cupboard essentials.

Lidl’s Deluxe Range

Lidl has created a luxury range with products with more quality and a bit more expensive. We recommend trying the ready meals, especially the pizzas and the desserts both chilled and frozen.

Lidl’s Vegan Food

Like most supermarkets in the UK, Lidl has also a selection of vegan food. It’s usually easier to find some good deals in January during Veganuary. During the rest of the year, you can find some discounted vegan products, but Lidl still needs to invest more in this sector. You can’t compare its vegan food selection with supermarkets like Asda and other British supermarkets, for example.

Lidl’s Just Free

Just Free is Lidl’s gluten-free and dairy-free range. This range is quite smaller compared to other supermarkets in the UK. You can mainly find baked goodies and plant milk. This is also restricted depending on the size of the store you visit. The bigger the store, the more chances to find these products.

Best things to buy at Lidl

If you are not sure what to buy at Lidl, we have listed some of the best things to buy at Lidl:

Baked goodies, any of them
Eggs
Cold meats selections (probably the cheapest ones in the UK)
Cheese selections (probably the cheapest ones in the UK)
W5 cleaning products
Newgate's tomato soup
Mini Oakland cucumbers and peppers
Coffee
Nocciolata chocolate spread
Granola
Lupilu baby products
Greek yoghurts
Nuts selection
Baresa ready-made pasta sauces
Frozen spicy bean burgers

Sale Dates at Lidl

Lidl has new offers every week. You can usually find new offers on Thursdays and Sundays.

When is Lidl Black Friday?

Lidl Black Friday is usually on the last Friday of November.

What Gift cards does Lidl sell?

You can get a Lidl Gift Card but only if you are in North Ireland. There you can find cards for £10, £20 and £50. You can also top it up to £200. These cards are sold in-stores. You can also get Corporate and Charity Gift Cards.

Alcohol at Lidl

Lidl has one of the cheapest alcohol selections in the market. You can find some cheaper alternatives of the most well-known alcoholic beverages such as Baileys and others. Lidl is also famous for its beers.

The wine sold at Lidl is recognised by important names in the wine industry, such as Richard Bampfield, a master of wine. You can also get new wines on sale every week. We definitely recommend browsing around for some good bargains.

What time can you buy alcohol in Lidl?

Differently from other supermarkets, you can only buy alcohol in Lidl between 8 AM and 9 PM from Monday to Saturday. On Sundays and bank holidays you can only buy between 1 PM to 6 PM.