Junior Acquisitions Consultant Review

As an Acquisitions Consultant, I am based in a regional property office. I am responsible for my own boroughs within London, and I cover the whole process from acquisition until handing over to construction. This includes (but is certainly not limited to) knowing my patch, finding new sites, negotiating deals, carrying out development appraisals, working on store designs, gaining board approval, formalising contracts, submitting planning applications, and liaising with numerous internal and external stakeholders for different projects.

I have learnt a wealth of knowledge about the real estate industry and also for retail specifically. I have learnt a lot on legal elements of land ownership and contracts as well as important legal knowledge such as dilapidations, easements, covenants, and relevant acts. I also cover lots in planning and development knowledge, GIS and area analysis, landlord and tenant relationships, store design specification, estate management. I have also vastly improved on soft skills of data analysis, organisation, communication, negotiation and more.

I really enjoy my programme and the university scheme is great. It is completely virtual and means I can structure it how I want which is flexible. The learning is very structured and it comes in a variety of formats from lectures, videos, journals, reading, and workshops. They also provide access to a wealth of different resources and materials

It is very well structured and is provided on a weekly basis. Each week is split down into different sections of learning, and often provides an assessment or quiz at the end of each week to ensure you have covered everything sufficiently. There are two assessments per term for each module also.

My line manager has been excellent at supporting me through the apprenticeship, and using their own wealth of knowledge and expertise to support my studies. They consistently try to help me incorporate my knowledge into my daily role, and also challenge me to think differently about situations. They also help with how this knowledge specifically applies to the retail element of real estate.

I receive lots of support from UCEM about how to successfully complete the degree element of my apprenticeship, and they also provide resources for my APC. I have 10-weekly meetings with my Apprenticeship outcomes officer, who gives me regular and structured time to think about my progress and how I can continue working towards the APC

It has allowed me to gain a lot more industry-specific and specialist knowledge which is very helpful in my role. It has given me more confidence in my knowledge, and allowed me to better my understanding of important elements of acquisitions such as legal and planning matters. It is helpful to understand the theory behind the work and contextualise it.

No, this may not be applicable for the wider company. Because I am in a satellite office with only 4 other colleagues, it means we are part of a very small team. Therefore we don't have the opportunity for extra-curricular activities such as sports teams or social activities beyond wider London Christmas and Summer socials.

Yes

Lidl has really helped me to develop a holistic understanding of the business, from supply chain to on-floor store operations. Their training programmes and graduate schemes really invest in you and give you real responsibility from the outset. They have allowed me to try out different things in the business, and ultimately land in the property team, doing something I really enjoy.

When applying for Lidl, don't be afraid of hard work! We all work really hard and care a lot about providing the best experience for our customers and improving our store portfolio. They provide a lot of support for you and really want you to develop, so determination will always serve you well.