Lidl has announced plans to open 10 new stores before the end of the year and create around 400 jobs across the UK.

The popular supermarket chain will open shops in locations including Stirchley in Birmingham, Berwick Green in Bristol and Tracey in Devon.

There are also three store openings across London, Hoxton, Forest Gate and Caterham, as part of the expansion. The chain was named the third-largest supermarket in the capital alone.

Lidl will reopen three existing stores after undergoing upgrades and extensions giving more choice to its customers. These reopened shops include Chessington, Connah’s Quay and Dagenham Heathway.

The chain's growth has earned them the UK's fastest-growing supermarket 14 times in a row.

It is the supermarket's mission to make "high-quality, high-quality, affordable produce accessible to all corners of Great Britain".

Lidl currently has around 960 stores in the UK but is targeting more than 1,100 across England, Wales and Scotland.

Richard Taylor, chief development officer at Lidl GB, said: “Our plan to open 10 new stores before Christmas demonstrates our continued commitment to providing more communities across the country with access to affordable, quality food, as well as employment opportunities.

"But we still have big ambitions for our expansion plans to open hundreds more Lidl stores in the future.

"Our teams are constantly scouring the country for new sites, identifying opportunities not just in towns where we don’t currently have stores, but also in areas where existing stores are experiencing increasing demand."

The full list of locations so far:

• Stirchley in Birmingham
• Berwick Green in Bristol
• Tracey in Devon
• Anglia Retail Park, Ipswich
• Hoxton in London
• Forest Gate in London
• Caterham in London 
• Chessington (reopening) 
• Connah’s Quay (reopening)
• Dagenham Heathway (reopening)

It comes as the cheapest supermarket for September has been revealed with shoppers paying on average 27 percent less than the most expensive retailer.

Consumer champions Which? bought 59 everyday essentials from supermarket giants including Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Ocado and Morrisons to determine the results.

Food items were both branded and non-branded to ensure fairness across the research with special offers and loyalty schemes also included but not multibuys.

Lidl's costs came to £103.86, which was £1.18 more than first spot Aldi, with Waitrose being the most expensive supermarket.

The Express has contacted Lidl for comment