Lidl confirms interest in opening new store in Sudbury

The German retailer has expressed an interest in opening a new store in Sudbury, but is still on the hunt for a site. 

There has been some speculation that the supermarket chain could open a new store in the former Delphi site in Newton Road. 

Former Delphi site in Sudbury (Image: Newsquest)

Delphi Technologies announced plans to shut its Delphi Diesel Systems plant back in 2017 before leaving the site in 2020.

In its heyday, the business employed about 2,000 people. 

When asked about opening a store in the former Delphi site, a spokesman for Lidl said: "We can confirm that we’re currently considering options for sites in the area for a Lidl store, but we aren’t in a position to confirm anything concrete."

Laura Smith, Babergh district councillor for Sudbury, believes that the people of of the town would be delighted to have a Lidl supermarket. 

She said: "I think people would be very happy. 

"I know it would be very popular and it would provide work and it would make a good use of a currently empty site.

"It could have been used for community purposes but it best to be used than not at all."

Ms Smith also raised some concerns over the level of traffic the new store could bring to the town. 

A taskforce was set up to look for a new buyer of the site after Delphi Diesel Systems announced it would be selling. 

South Suffolk MP James Cartlidge (Image: Office of James Cartlidge)

In 2019 it was revealed that Delphi could have been sold to a housing company, with South Suffolk MP James Cartlidge describing the move as a "big blow" for Sudbury. 

Mr Cartlidge also said that companies had expressed an interest in buying the site and keeping it in industrial use at the time.