The 1.2 million square foot RDC, which is half a kilometre in length and could fit three of Lidl’s existing warehouses inside it, is located in Houghton Regis, Luton, and will be delivering over 9,400 pallets a day to 150 stores. This compares to its existing distribution centres, which service between approximately 60-80 stores.
It will be the first Lidl GB warehouse that features automation, helping the company to store more goods and increase capacity at the distribution centre, which in turn is helping to create more jobs.
It’s also been designed with sustainability in mind. It features solar panels set to generate 2,000,000 kWH’s of electricity every year. In fact, at certain times throughout the year the warehouse will run fully on its own generated solar power. As an eco-bonus, all its delivery fleet vehicles are fuelled by biogas which is created from food waste, supporting Lidl's firm commitment to have 100% of its fleet diesel free within the next seven years.
This milestone development comes as Lidl doubles down on its commitment to further strengthen its infrastructure as it caters for growing numbers of customers up and down the UK.
In 2022 Lidl opened over 50 new stores, that's more than any other supermarket in the UK. It also Great opened a further 19 stores at the beginning of this year.
The warehouse will create up to 1,500 jobs for the local community. Warehouse colleagues will benefit from working at the highest paying supermarket after hourly wages increased this month to £11.40 from £11.00, with the potential to rise to £12.30 with length of service. Benefits also include life assurance and optional health and dental insurance schemes, plus enhanced holiday entitlement, and 10% discount in stores.
The opening is being marked with a ribbon cutting and parade featuring local performers from Luton, allowing Lidl colleagues to celebrate along with local community stakeholders.
Richard Taylor, Chief Development Officer at Lidl GB, said: “The opening of this new RDC in Luton is a seminal moment for Lidl GB. Demand for Lidl has never been higher, and we are seeing an increasing number of people walk through our doors to make savings on every shop.
"The fact Lidl's largest RDC in the world is here in Britain speaks for itself not only in terms of us needing to meet the growing demand from customers, but also in terms of our ambition to grow that demand in the future.
"Its a spectacular state-of-the-art site that our team has worked incredibly hard on to get to where we are today. It has the capacity to service 150 stores, nearly triple the amount of some of our existing warehouses, demonstrating the true scale of our ambition and growth potential.”
Jennifer Davidson, Lidl’s Regional Director responsible for the new distribution centre added: “In my 26 years at Lidl I’ve had the chance to work on some really incredible projects, but none of which I'm prouder of than this. To see the culmination of all the work that went into it and knowing the boost it’s giving the local economy, including the 1,500 jobs, is truly something. We have an exceptional team here, and I’m excited about what the future has in store for us, and Lidl in general.”
Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said: “It’s fantastic to see Lidl investing in the UK and creating thousands more well-paid jobs. As our plan to halve inflation this year and grow the economy bears fruit, businesses can be confident that investing in the UK is the right decision.”
The multi-million pound investment builds on momentum already made this year. In April, Lidl announced it was recruiting for 400 roles as it submitted a planning application at a 38-acre site in Gildersome, Leeds. This followed the recent opening of four RDCs including Motherwell, Peterborough, Doncaster and a second site in Belvedere.
(EDITOR: We know several people employed by Lidl and they speak very highly of the company, especially in one instance the health and dental insurance schemes which they were particularly impressed with. To learn more about careers with Lidl check them out here https://careers.lidl.co.uk)