German discount retailer Lidl has announced plans to open a new large-scale warehouse in Luton, outside of London, that will create up to 1,000 jobs, according to the UK's Independent newspaper.
The retail group said that the new warehouse will have an area of approximately one million square feet, which makes it twice the size of any of its current warehouses in the UK.
It will manage distribution of food and non-food items to Lidl stores in and around the M25 motorway, which encircles large parts of Greater London.
The retailer said that it aims to open five new London stores ,supported by the warehouse, over the next two months, including in Shepherd's Bush, Walthamstow Central, South Ruislip, Hornchurch and Rosehill.
British Investment Plan
The new London warehouse is part of Lidl’s £1.45 billion investment commitment in Britain. It follows the opening of two distribution centres, in Exeter and Wednesbury, in the West Midlands last year.
“As more London households choose to shop at Lidl, we are committed to the continued investment in our operations and infrastructure to support our growth,” said Ingo Fischer, Lidl’s board director for expansion and development in the UK.
“With five new stores opening in the next two months alone, and further store expansion and development plans in place for the Greater London area across the new financial year and beyond, this new warehouse is vital in supporting our ambitious expansion plans in and around the M25,” Fischer continued.
In October, the discounter announced plans to develop a 754,000-square-foot distribution centre in Peterborough, due to open in the coming months.
Construction has also begun on two warehouses located in Avonmouth and on the Eurocentral industrial site in Scotland, with projects under way to open warehouses in Doncaster, Bolton, Weston-super-Mare and Livingston.
Lidl and Aldi are battling for the title of the UK's fastest-growing supermarket, both with year-on-year sales growth of 16.8%, according to recent figures by Kantar Worldpanel.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Kevin Duggan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
