Lielahden Lidl Reopens After 612 m² Expansion, Adds EV Chargers and Wider Aisles

Lielahden Lidl in Tampere has been extensively expanded and fully renovated, reopening on Thursday 22 October, Tamperelainen reported.

Work began in early April, but the store remained open to customers throughout the project. Lidl project manager Aapo Pietarinen said the approach was unique in Finland and required careful phasing and planning, and he praised staff for keeping operations running during the construction.

The single-storey building grew by about 612 square metres to a total of 1,644 square metres, increasing sales floor space by 436 square metres. The car park now has 166 spaces, including nine family-sized bays by the checkout area, and all markings were redone to Lidl’s layout. Six high-power EV chargers have also been installed. Inside, shoppers will find wider aisles, longer shelf runs, new refrigeration units, a larger central non-food area and a modern deposit bottle-and-can return machine nicknamed the "Ahmatti", Finnish for "glutton". Area manager Ville Kuoppu says the product range has expanded to more than 5,500 items.

The chain plans further regional updates later this year, including a new store in Nokia and construction in Hervanta. An old Nuijamiestentie outlet was demolished earlier, with a temporary shop serving customers on Yrittäjäkatu.

The reopening follows other recent Lidl renovations in the region including a Pirkkala store that reopened after a full renovation and coincides with plans for a new Hervanta outlet announced in September.