Budget supermarket giant Lidl is set to open a new store in Hadleigh, it has been revealed.

The German-owned chain, famed for selling cut-price food and merchandise, has purchased a site on London Road, Hadleigh, which was formerly home to a Lookers Renault car showroom.

Franchise firm Godfrey Davis was the previous owners of the site and decided to sell after the land became surplus to its requirements.

A spokesman for King Sturge of London, agents for Godfrey Davis, said: "We can confirm the papers have been signed and that Lidl is the new owner of the site."

The number of new jobs on the cards has yet to be revealed.

A spokeswoman for Lidl said it could not comment on plans for the site but added: "I can confirm that we have expressed an interest in the site on London Road."

The fate of the former garage had been shrouded in secrecy ever since Lookers Renault transferred its car showroom base to Priory Crescent in Southend, last month.

Lidl has 4,000 stores in ten European countries and since arriving in the UK in 1994, it has opened over 250 stores throughout Britain which employ over 4,000 staff.

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