A Russian supermarket which has been dubbed the new Lidl has set its sights on opening a store in south London.

The supermarket chain known as Mere has confirmed it is opening four initial shops in the UK and has compared itself to Costco without the membership fee.

According to a "location wish list" on its website, the firm says it wants to bring the store to Beckenham.

Mere, which is known in Russia as Svetofor, was founded in Siberia in 2009. It currently has around 3,000 stores internationally. The first European Mere store opened in 2018.

The company claims to be cheaper than both Aldi and Lidl and says they will undercut existing UK competitors by 20%-30%.

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Speaking to The Grocer earlier this month, Mere’s head of UK buying Pavels Antonovs said: “We are the gap in the market. We don’t have any competitors.

"Our model is no service and no marketing."

The firm plans to open at least 200 'self-service' stores within a five-to-10-year timeframe, with its first to open in Preston in July.

It adds that any site it takes in the city must be around 10,000 sq ft, with parking spaces for 30-40 cars.

The business is appealing for landlords to contact them via its website.

It read: “We are looking for suitable locations across the UK to expand our retail chain.

“Despite coronavirus, we are actively involved with landlords, their representatives and agents with the aim to open our Mere retail stores ASAP.”

Bromley aside, other locations on their wish list include; Devon, Stockport, Neath, Banbury, Selby, Bradford, Middlesbrough, Grantham, Kettering, Plymouth, Beckenham, Gloucester, Northampton, Cardiff, Oswestry, Barnsley, Sheffield, Exeter, Stretford, Southampton, south Scotland and Wales.