Discount retailer Lidl GB, the Great Britain subsidiary of Lidl Germany, has announced plans to modernize over 70 existing stores, with natural refrigerant chillers included in the £43 million ($58 million/€49 million) retrofit investment.
“The changes to these stores will include new tills and larger freezers to offer a greater range of products,” Lidl said. “[We are] also introducing energy-saving features as part of the modernizations, including chillers that use natural refrigerants and smart lighting systems, to help lower the environmental impact and support Lidl GB’s journey toward net zero.”
The retailer opened its first store in the U.K. in 1994. Lidl GB marked its 1,000th store milestone on November 27, 2025, with the opening of its East Grinstead, West Sussex, location. In early 2026, the Great Britain subsidiary plans to open 19 new stores.
Early adopters: To lower its greenhouse gas emissions, Lidl GB noted in its 2017/2018 sustainability report that it was rolling out the use of natural refrigerants across its portfolio, with refrigeration accounting for half of its energy consumption.
- At that time, Lidl GB reported that 50% of its newly installed retail floor refrigeration equipment and 100% of its new and refurbished warehouse refrigeration systems used natural refrigerants.
- In 2018, 83 stores used a bespoke low-energy refrigeration compressor pack combined with an air-source heat pump. The configuration reduced total store energy consumption by 27% compared to the company’s previous operations.
- In 2016, Lidl Germany committed to using propane (R290) plug-in refrigerated units in all future stores across Europe. At Chillventa 2022, Markus Lenz, Director of Marketing and Refrigeration and Integrated Products at Emerson indicated that Lidl also specifies CO2 (R744) refrigeration.
Sustainability goals: By 2030, Lidl GB aims to reduce its Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2e emissions by 70% from its 2019 baseline as part of its parent company’s overall 2050 net-zero target.
- Major contributors to the company’s Scope 1 emissions include refrigerant GWP and refrigerant leaks. Lidl GB’s 2021/2022 sustainability report indicates that refrigerant leaks accounted for 10,273 metric tons of CO2e emissions in 2019. By 2022 it had reduced refrigerant emissions by 42%, curtailing them to 5,943 metric tons of CO2e.
- Its total Scope 1 emissions dropped 30% from its 2019 baseline of 22,170 metric tons of CO2e to 15,539 metric tons in 2022.
Quotable: “We’re starting the new year as we mean to go on, with a major investment that reinforces our commitment to delivering the best experience for customers and creating a positive impact for the communities we serve,” said Lidl GB’s Chief Real Estate Officer Richard Taylor.
