Lidl GB has announced a £500 million investment in British berry sourcing over the next five years as it looks to increase the volume of UK-grown fruit available in its stores.

The retailer said it has signed new five-year agreements with British berry suppliers, providing growers with longer-term certainty as they face rising production costs and increasingly unpredictable weather conditions.

The move comes as demand for fresh fruit continues to grow. Lidl said sales of British blueberries have increased by more than 200 per cent over the past three years, making them one of the fastest-growing fruit categories in its stores.

Sales of British blackberries rose by almost 93 per cent during the same period, while volumes of premium strawberries increased by 50 per cent last year.
Lidl recently reported the largest year-on-year increase in berry sales among UK retailers and received the British Berry Retailer of the Year award.

Richard Bourns, chief commercial officer at Lidl GB, said that by extending long-term agreements the company is providing the security suppliers need to build a resilient future.

"It is our clear ambition to be the first-choice partner for British growers,” he added. “By building a framework providing long-term security, we enable our growers to confidently invest, innovate and scale alongside us."

Industry body British Berry Growers praised the investment. According to Chair Nick Marston, Lidl increased its British berry volumes from around 11,500 tonnes in 2023 to more than 15,700 tonnes in 2025, representing growth of more than 36 per cent in two years.

Marston said Lidl now accounts for around 12.6 per cent of all British berry tonnage sold through British Berry Growers members.

"This kind of retailer investment and commitment to British berries is exactly what our growers need," he said.

The berry investment builds on Lidl GB's wider commitment to source £30 billion worth of products from the British food and farming industry by 2030, as it seeks to strengthen UK agricultural supply chains and support domestic producers.

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