Lidl says it will repay more than 100 million pounds of business rates relief

Supermarket and fast fashion chain Lidl will said it will repay more than 100 million pounds of business rates relief it received during the pandemic.

The company’s UK management said it was “the right thing to do”.

Some retailers, whose sales have boomed during the crisis, have been criticised for taking government help while paying dividends to shareholders, reported the BBC.

Christian Härtnagel, chief executive of Lidl GB, said: “The business rates relief that was provided to us, and the rest of the supermarket sector, came with a lot of responsibility that we took extremely seriously. “We’ve been considering this for some time, and we are now in a position to confirm that we will be refunding this money as we believe it is the right thing to do.”

The retail industry has inextricably suffered since March, when all retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England were forced to close down if they were deemed “non essential.” A government relief package provided business rates holiday for 12 months to help companies get through the crisis and ensuing lockdowns.”