Lidl has confirmed Ashby as one of the towns in Leicestershire where it wants to open a new store - and there is a finder's fee on offer for anyone who can identify a potential site.

The supermarket first made it clear 18 months ago that the town was among its targets nationwide as it looked to expand across the UK.

Now it has earmarked 12 locations across Leicestershire where it wants to move into.

The German supermarket chain currently has 947 Lidl retail stores across the United Kingdom and it was announced earlier this year that it had become the sixth largest supermarket across the country.

And it intends to continue expanding with a £1.3 billion investment in more stores throughout the UK.

As part of these plans, the company is hoping to open 1,100 stores by the end of 2025.

The giant retailer is calling on the public to help locate sites for new stores in specific locations across Leicestershire.

Lidl has offered to pay a finder's fee to anyone that identifies a potential site and the figure will be either 1.5 per cent of the total freehold purchase price or 10 per cent of the new site's first year's rent for leaseholds.

Unit sizes for Lidl stores that stand alone must be between 18,000 and 26,500 square feet and must also have space for 100+ dedicated car parking spaces.

The supermarket chain is looking to find "prominent locations" that are easy to access and have "strong pedestrian or traffic flow".

Below is a list of the desired locations from across the county:

• Ashby-de-la-Zouch
• Hinckley – North
• Aylestone
• Blaby
• Braunstone
• Enderby
• Evington
• Glenfield
• Syston
• Loughborough – West
• Shepshed
• Mountsorrel