Lidl’s tongue-in-cheek Christmas truck will tour the UK this winter
Lidl has revealed its tongue-in-cheek Christmas truck that will tour the UK this winter.
The supermarket giant is to mark the festive season by driving its own version of a Christmas cola truck to cities across the UK, as Coca-Cola announced the return of its own tour.
The 20-metre, 15-tonne red truck which will have Lidl's own-brand Freeway cola label wrapped around its body.
The budget retailer said it will visit nine cities between November 14 and December 1 for its first tour.
The trucks will create pop-ups at each stop where staff will give away more than 2,000 present boxes containing items from the retailer's "middle aisle", known for selling an array of household items.
They will be given away on a first come, first served basis.
Lidl said it will also use the truck to give away £100 of food shops to some winning shoppers, and handing out festive food to customers.
Pop-ups will take place in Dundee, Harrogate, Hull, Nottingham, Wolverhampton, Wrexham, Luton, Bournemouth and Southampton.
Earlier this month Lidl has said it will be opening 10 more shops in the UK before Christmas as the discount retailer targets new shoppers ahead of the festive season.
The German supermarket chain also announced it has agreed to sell 12 new stores as part of a leaseback deal worth £70 million.
Lidl currently has about 960 stores but has previously said it is targeting more than 1,100 across England, Wales and Scotland.
The new openings this year will create around 400 jobs and reach thousands more households, according to the retailer.
The expansion includes shops in Berwick Green in Bristol, Bovey Tracey in Devon, and Stirchley in Birmingham, as well as three in London's Hoxton, Forest Gate and Caterham.
It also includes the reopening of relocated or refurbished shops in Chessington and Dagenham in London, and Connah's Quay in Wales.
Lidl is now the sixth biggest UK supermarket with an 8.1% share of the grocery market, according to the latest figures from Kantar.
That puts it just behind Morrisons, which has an 8.6% share, and German rival Aldi, which has grown its share to just under a 10th.
Meanwhile, Lidl said it has agreed to a deal to sell 12 new shops, which are in the process of being built, for £70 million.
The schedule for Coca-Cola's long-running Christmas truck tour will be released later this month.
The firm said it will donate 20p to food charity FareShare for every person who attends the truck tour between November 21 and December 22.
